The Broken Road
by smilinjuss4u
Summary: When Lorelai Gilmore met Luke Danes in a hospital waiting room, she was 16, pregnant, and looking for a way out of the life her parents have chosen for her. Luke was 18 and had the kind of life that was completely different from the Gilmores. Ch. 27 up
1. The Beginning

**The Broken Road**

**I have a horrible tendency to begin new stories before I finish others. In reality, I have about ten fics going right now and only 2 (one of which I put on indefinite hold) are close to being finished. So, to further feed this bad habit, I shall feed the desire for yet another _Gilmore Girls_ fic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Set-up: When Lorelai Gilmore met Luke Danes in a hospital waiting room, she was 16, pregnant, and looking for a way out of the life her parents have chosen for her. Luke was 18 and had the kind of life that was completely different from the Gilmores. Now, 21 years later, the couple prepares for their twentieth anniversary. This is their story.**

**Chapter 1**

Rory stepped out of her car. She had come back to town for her parents' wedding anniversary. The whole town was getting ready for the big party. She spotted Miss Patty's studio and noticed the sign outside the doors. It read: "Today's Story Hour: The Luke and Lorelai Story." Miss Patty always knew how to tell a good story. Of course, her version was much shorter than what happened between the young lovers, but it was always entertaining to hear. Rory made her way over to listen in on the story she knew very well.

"Ok children, gather around," Patty said. "Today I'm going to tell you a story about two young lovers brought together by fate and bound together by love. She was the daughter of a wealthy insurance man and his wife and he was the son of the local hardware store owner. Luke Danes met a very pregnant Lorelai Gilmore on a cold October night in Hartford..."

_October 7, 1984_

Lorelai Gilmore wobbled her way to an open seat in the Hartford Memorial Hospital waiting room. She was sixteen and nine months pregnant. She wouldn't be pregnant much longer though. Half an hour ago, she was at home watching T.V. when she realized her water had just broke. She scribbled a note to her parents and called a cab to bring her to the hospital. Now, she was just waiting for them to call her name and set her up in a room. She was looking around the room when she noticed a young man in flannel and a backwards baseball cap walk in. He looked to be about her age. He looked tired as he plopped in the only open seat next to her and removed his baseball cap, running his fingers through his short brown hair.

"Long day slugger?" she joked.

"Huh?" he asked, too tired to catch the sarcasm in her voice.

"I was joking."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I'm just…"

"I'm Lorelai Gilmore." She extended her hand to him.

"Luke Danes." When he shook her hand, he noticed her belly for the first time. "Oh. You're…"

"Due any second."

"I'm sorry. I should be used to this by now."

"You get a lot of girls pregnant?"

"Huh? No. No. Of course not. My sister had a baby like two days ago and that's why I'm here. I'm smarter than that." Lorelai raised a brow at Luke. "No! I don't mean you're stupid. Because you're probably not. I just meant I'm responsible. Ok, that didn't come out right either. What I mean to say is when I have sex…" Luke stopped himself from further embarrassing himself. "You must think I'm an idiot."

"No, you're actually quite entertaining."

"Ok, to hell with a baseball career. I'll just be a comedian."

Lorelai laughed and noticed Luke's right hand was taped up. "What happened to your hand?"

"I had an accident. I was working with some wood…"

"Dirty."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Continue."

"Anyway, the power saw nipped me. It's not as bad as getting hit in the head with a baseball."

"You don't have very good luck do you?"

"I'd like to think of it as a repercussion for playing midnight baseball when you're drunk."

"If you say so."

"So, Lorelai, where's your hu...boy...guy that did that to you?"

"I don't know."

"He's not here?"

"Nope."

"Does he know you're here?"

"You wouldn't be sitting there if he did."

"Did you tell him you're here?"

"I'll call him after I go through labor."

"What about your parents?"

"They just got home from a party. They're probably asleep. Don't worry I left them a note."

"Brother? Sister? Cousin? Aunt Marium twice removed?"

"Don't have any. Well, cousins and Aunt Mirium I do, but they don't wanna be here."

"So you're here by yourself?"

"You got it Sherlock."

Luke looked down at his hands. "I just needed to get away from my sister's room for a while, but if you want, I can stay here with you."

"That's alright. You go spend time with your family. I'll be ok."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Ok," Luke said. He got up and turned to Lorelai. "Nice meeting you."

"Right back at ya. I hope everything goes well," Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah and good luck with the whole labor...thing."

"Wow, you really know what to say to a woman."

"Ah jeez. Bye." Luke walked away, cursing himself for hitting on a pregnant woman and making a complete idiot of himself in the process. He cursed himself more for not getting her number.

Lorelai watched as Luke walked away. _Not bad. Not bad at all.

* * *

_

Luke left Liz's- his sister- room to get something to eat for himself and his father. He was headed down the hall when he heard someone calling. "Hey you in the flannel," a familiar voice called. 

Luke stopped and looked into the room the voice came from. It was Lorelai. "Oh, hey," he greeted as he stepped inside. "You still haven't popped?"

"No," Lorelai laughed. "I haven't 'popped'. Where's the bandage on your hand?"

"I got it stitched up," he said, holding up his hand. "There's ten."

"Wow. It'll make one great battle scar. Just tell people you were stabbed."

"In the hand?"

"Lousy mugger. Duh."

"I was stabbed in the hand by a lousy mugger in Hartford?"

"It's better than letting people think you're a complete klutz."

"You're right. What was I thinking?" he joked. "So, how much longer you gonna be here?"

"Probably until I 'pop'."

"Ah jeez."

"You sure do like that phrase."

"Yeah, well, what can you do?"

"Hey, is that offer for company still good? It's really boring in here."

Luke smiled. "Sure is." He took a seat in the chair next to the bed. "How you feeling?"

"Tired. The contractions really hurt."

"Did you ask for an epidural?"

"A what?"

"An epidural. It's an anesthetic they give you to ease the pain." Lorelai stared at him blankly. "You know, a drug."

"Won't that hurt the baby?"

"No. It's perfectly fine."

"Oh. Ok. Can I have one of those?"

"We'll ask when the doctor comes in. How far apart are your contractions?"

"Not far enough."

"You'll probably go into labor soon. Did the doctor tell you if you are or how dilated you are?"

"That's kinda personal don't you think?"

"Sorry."

"It's ok. How do you know so much about this?"

"My sister had a baby, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot."

"I bet you do that a lot." Lorelai laughed, making Luke smile. There was something about her that made him smile. Maybe it was because she reminded him of his sister, pregnant and alone. Whatever the reason was, it was going to keep him at her side for as long as she needed him.

* * *

"Sir," the nurse called again as she shook Luke's sleeping form. "Sir. Sir, please wake up." 

"Huh?" Luke asked as he was jolted from his sleeping state.

"Sir, your girlfriend is about to go into labor. I need you to wake up."

Luke looked beside him to see a screaming Lorelai. He quickly looked at the clock. "It's three forty-five? Oh man, I must have drifted off. My dad is gonna kill me!"

"Luke! Don't leave! Not mow. I need yo...ow!" Lorelai screamed.

"Ok, ok," Luke said, immediately taking Lorelai's hand. "I'll stay. I'm staying. Good Lord you have one hell of a grip."

"Will your boyfriend be going with you to the delivery room ma'am?" the nurse asked.

"I'm not her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, husband. It doesn't matter. I just need to know if you're going to the delivery room."

"He is," Lorelai replied.

"In that case, I need you to step outside and put these on." The nurse handed Luke some scrubs. Before Luke had the chance to speak, the nurse shooed him out of the room.

Just as he finished putting the scrubs on, they were pushing Lorelai out of her room. He followed beside the bed and when Lorelai reached out for his hand, he gave it to her.

"What do I do?" he asked when they reached the delivery room. "I've never done this before."

"That goes for the both of us," Lorelai said sarcastically.

She squeezed his hand as hard as she could when a contraction hit. Luke bit his bottom lip to keep from yelling. It wouldn't be fair to complain about his pain when Lorelai's pain was twenty million times worse. What was he doing here? What was he thinking? He met this girl a few hours ago and barely knew her. Yet, here he was, letting her break his hand as she tried to push a kid out of her. This wasn't his responsibility. This wasn't his girlfriend and she wasn't having his kid. He didn't have to be here. He didn't have to do this. He didn't have to, but he was.

They were in the delivery room for about twenty minutes and at four o' three, the sound of a baby's cries were heard instead of Loreali's cursing. "Congratulations, you have a beautiful, healthy baby girl," the doctor smiled.

* * *

"She's so tiny," Luke remarked as he stared at the baby in Lorelai's arms. 

"Babies aren't exactly giants," Lorelai joked.

"Ah, the sarcasm hath returned! Much better than your sailor talk."

"I was in pain."

"You sounded like you had Turrets."

"Ha, ha, ha. You should be a comedian."

"Yeah because I'm _so_ funny right?"

"Right," Lorelai laughed. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Uh. Sure." Luke took the baby from Lorelai's arms.

Just then, Dr. Reynolds, the Gilmore family physician, walked into the room. "Lorelai," he called.

"Dr. Reynolds!" Lorelai said in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a call from the hospital saying you were going into labor." Dr. Reynolds noticed Luke holding the baby. "Who's this?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the nurse said as she walked into the room. "But I was wondering if you've decided on a name for the baby so we can put it on the birth certificate."

"Luke," Lorelai replied.

"You're naming the baby Luke?" Dr. Reynolds asked.

"God no the baby's name isn't Luke! I'm that crazy."

"Then who's Luke?"

"I'm Luke," Luke replied.

"Who are you?"

"Luke."

"Ok, I think everyone knows who Luke is now," Lorelai said.

"What about the baby?" the nurse asked.

"Lorelai."

"We know who you are," Luke said.

"No, the baby."

"What about the baby?" Dr. Reynolds asked.

"Her name is Lorelai Leigh."

"You're naming the baby after yourself?" Luke asked.

"Why not? Men do it all the time."

"Ok. Baby Lorelai Leigh it is," the nurse said.

"Hey Luke."

"Yeah?" Luke asked.

"Thanks for being here."

"You're welcome."

"Lorelai," Dr. Reynolds called. "I called your parents as soon as I heard. They're in the waiting room right now. Should I go get them?"

"Give me five minutes would you?" Lorelai asked.

"Why do you need five minutes?" Luke asked.

"Is your name Christopher?"

"No."

"Can you run?"

"Yeah."

"My father has golf clubs and he knows how to use them, so run. Run really fast."


	2. Strangers on my mind

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 2**

"Luke's sister Liz and her son Jess were released later that day," Patty continued her story. "Luke wanted to see Lorelai one more time and possibly exchange numbers with her, but there were no opportune times. When her parents finally left her room, Luke and his family were already leaving. So, poor Luke went home to Stars Hollow with an overwhelming sense of sorrow. He dreamt of her every night and woke up sadly because he may never see that beautiful, crazy woman ever again. Little did he know, his dream was about to come true."

* * *

_1984- Gilmore Residence, Hartford, Connecticut_

Lorelai sat in the nursery as she put Rory to sleep. It'd been a month since she had her precious little girl and since she last saw Luke Danes. She often found herself thinking about the man that held her hand as she brought her daughter into the world despite the fact they didn't even know each other for more than twelve hours. She even tried looking him up, but there was no listing of a Danes family in Hartford or three of the surrounding counties. After putting Rory down for her nap, she headed to the kitchen for something to eat when she heard her parents arguing.

Richard and Emily Gilmore were prominent members of society in Hartford. They were both Yale alumni. Richard went into the insurance business and Emily was his stay at home wife. But don't count Emily out just yet. She was a member of the DAR- the Daughters of the American Revolution- among other dignified societies. Lorelai didn't get along with either of her parents. Though she and her father barely spoke, Lorelai liked him better than her mother. A horrible, yet true fact. Maybe it was because they barely she liked and got along with him better. As where her mother always put her two cents in. And Lorelai hated it.

Among the many subjects to pick a fight about, Richard and Emily chose their favorite and most common one- Lorelai. They were getting ready to go to another function when they began the argument. Richard was already tired and irritated from work, but it didn't stop Emily from complaining to her husband about their daughter's irresponsibility. She droned on and on about how Lorelai never put away the stroller and car seat and the messiness of her room.

"Emily!" Richard yelled. "Just tell Lorelai to put the baby's things away and clean her room. I just got off of work, I'm tired, and I do not want to deal with this right now."

"She won't listen to me. Do you know how frustrating it is to get her to do something you want?"

"Do _you_ know how frustrating it is to train a teenager that has no business in the insurance business to help run a very important company?"

"Why are you angry at Christopher? You were the one that wanted him to work with you."

"Christopher is a child. He is a child training to do a man's job."

"He has a baby."

"He's a child with a child."

"None of this would have happened if Lorelai hadn't gotten pregnant."

"Well, there's nothing we could do about that now is there? We have to deal with this situation like a business. We need to focus on it and figure out what is best."

At that very moment, something in Lorelai's mind snapped. Lorelai like her father more, but that was a low blow. That's all she and Rory were to them. A business. But they wouldn't be their "business" anymore. She realized she couldn't be in that house anymore. She had to do something. She had to leave. Lorelai hurried back up the stairs to her room and immediately pulled out her duffel bag. Once she heard her parents yell up the stairs that they were leaving, Loerlai began to pack. She grabbed her clothes and shoved them into her bag.

Once it was full, she grabbed another bag and ran to the nursery. She did the same with Rory's clothes, diapers, and toys as she did with her stuff, shoving them into the bag as quickly as she could. She brought the bags downstairs and then went back for Rory and her stroller/car seat. She scribbled a note to her parents and walked out the door. Lorelai wasn't sure what she was doing or where they were going as they waited at the bus stop. All she knew was that she needed to get away from that house. When the bus arrived, she paid her fair and took a seat.

"Excuse me, bus driver," Lorelai called.

"Yes ma'am?" the bus driver asked.

"Where is this bus going?"

"Stars Hollow."

* * *

_1984- Stars Hollow, Connecticut_

"I'm not gonna go," Luke stated as he packed up his tools and shut his toolbox.

"Why not?" Kevin Gleason, his best friend, asked.

"I've got too much to do. There's school, practice, work, and Lizzie needs help with the baby."

"School sucks. Practice is easy. Skip work. And Liz can take care of Jess. There, problem solved."

"I'm still gonna pass."

"Is this about Rachel? Come on man. You guys broke up six months ago." Luke just glared at his friend as he wiped his hands. "Oh. I see. This is about _her._"

"Can we not talk about this again?"

"If you liked her, why didn't you just get her number?"

"She was going through labor. There wasn't exactly a good time to hit on her."

"Was she hot?"

"Kev! She was pregnant!"

"Was she?"

"She was. Damn it. Why do I always screw things up? Why am _I _so screwed up? I mean, hitting on a pregnant woman? Who does that? Other than you. I must be really desperate."

Kevin put his arm around Luke and shook him. "Yeah. You are."

"Please stop touching me."

"And do you wanna know what the cure for being desperate is?"

"No, but you'll tell me anyway."

"Going out and partying with your best friend! Come on. Go out. Get laid. When was the last time you got laid my friend?"

"Ah jeez. You're not gonna buy me a hooker are you?"

"You kidding me? They're expensive."

"You'd know. Man, she was beautiful. She had chestnut hair that was slightly curled. She was funny. Actually made me laugh."

"No kidding."

"And her eyes. Oh God, her eyes. She had the most amazing blue eyes I'd ever seen. I tell ya, she looked like an angel."

"And you could have loved her like a devil."

"And I screwed it up. I didn't get her number, didn't find out where she lived. Leave it to me to do something incredibly stupid."

"Well, you _do_ hit on pregnant women." Luke threw the rag at Kevin before heading to the front desk of the inn.

* * *

Lorelai stood on the sidewalk as the bus drove off. She looked at the building in front of her. The Independence Inn. What other choice did she have? It was freezing and she needed to get Rory inside. She pushed the stroller toward the building and stepped inside. Mia heard a baby crying and looked up. She watched as the teenage girl walk over to the front desk with a baby in her arms. "Can I help you?" Mia asked sweetly. 

"You wouldn't happen to have any job openings would you?" Lorelai asked.

"What kind of job are you looking for Miss…"

"Gilmore. Lorelai Gilmore and this is Rory. It doesn't matter what job. I'll take anything."

"What experience do you have?"

"None."

"None?"

"Please. I really need a job. I don't have any money or a place to go. I can't go back home. I don't want my daughter to live like they want. I'll work for room and board. I'll park cars or wash dishes or…"

"That's enough," Mia said, raising her hand to silence the girl. "I'll hire you."

"You will?"

"Yes. I will. And don't worry about room and board. There's a pottery shed out back you can stay in. It's just big enough for the two of you. And don't let it discourage you. It's a cozy little thing."

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I'll work hard. I promise."

"I know you will."

Then she heard it. Lorelai heard that familiar voice. "Leave me alone," Luke said in the distance.

"You're being stubborn again," Kevin remarked as he and Luke walked through the double doors.

"And you're being annoying so quit." Luke stopped in his tracks when he looked up and saw Lorelai, causing Kevin to run into him.

"What's the big…" Kevin trailed off when he saw Lorelai. "Hot damn."

"Lucas, there you are," Mia smiled. "I'd like you to meet my new maid, Lorelai Gilmore. Luke and his father fix things for me." Luke was too shocked to respond. "Is something wrong Lucas?"

"He's frustrated," Kevin chimed in.

"Shut up," Luke said to his friend.

"Sexually," Kevin said to Lorelai so Mia wouldn't hear.

"I said shut up Kev."

"He met some girl in Hartford a while."

"Kevin. Seriously, before I kick your ass."

"He wanted to…" Luke turned around quickly and punched Kevin before he could finish his sentence. Kevin staggered back from the blow. "Jesus! That hurt!"

"Why is it that I have to beat you up to get you to listen to me?"

"Crazy bastard," Kevin mumbled as he regained composure and rubbed his chest. "I think there's gonna be a bruise."

"I never thought I'd see you again," Lorelai remarked.

"I guess fate had other plans huh?" Luke laughed. "Is that…"

"Yeah."

"She's getting big." It dawned on Kevin. She was the girl.

"Yup. You wanna hold her?"

"Not that's alright. Uh, Mia, the stove's fixed and the shelves are up. I'll be back tomorrow to fix the washer and dryer, install the replacement water heater, and change the light bulbs. If you don't need me to do anything else, I guess I'll be going."

"Lucas, why don't you be a gentleman and bring Lorelai and Rory's things out to the pottery shed?" Mia suggested. "They'll be staying there for a while."

"She's gonna stay in your bachelor pad?" Kevin laughed.

"One more word and I'm going for the nose," Luke warned.

"I gotta get home anyway. See you around."

Luke waved to his friend then helped Lorelai bring her bags out to the pottery shed.

"So, it's your bachelor pad?" Lorelai teased as they headed outside.

"No. Kevin's just weird. A few years ago, I needed a place just for myself. My sister and my dad were always at each other's throats and I had to get away. Mia let me turn the shed into a little place of my own." Luke put the bags down to open the door. "Well, here we are. It's nothing fancy. There's a bed, shower, stove, closet. The essentials. Maybe someday I can come over and show you how things work."

"I think I can turn on a shower."

"I didn't mean...I just meant…"

"I was joking."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. So, how'd you end up in Stars Hollow?"

"I don't know. I just got on a bus and here I am. Maybe you can show me around town."

"Oh, yeah. I can do that. I'll be here a lot so I'll probably run into you or something."

"Yeah."

"Or I can give you my number and you can call me when you wanna see the town."

"We can do that too." They stood in silence.

"So…I should get going. I have homework and…stuff." Luke turned around to leave.

He was just about out the door when Lorelai called. "Luke, wait."

"Yeah?" he asked, facing her.

"I thought you were going to give me your number."

Luke smiled. "Oh yeah. I was." He walked back into the tiny house and wrote his phone number down on a piece of paper. He walked back home with a smile plastered across his face.

* * *

_Present Day_

"And that, boys and girls, was just the beginning," Patty said.

_Kevin Gleason, _Rory thought. She, like many others, only knew about him through stories told by those who knew him best. The most coming from his best friends Luke and Jackson Mellville and Kevin's youngest and oddly favorite brother: Kirk.

* * *

**A/N: Ever wonder why Kirk is so clingy to Luke? Well, this is one scenario. Pay attention. You may think you know, but you don't. Well, you're smart. Maybe you do.**


	3. Phone Troubles

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 3**

Luke was in his driveway, working under the hood of his truck. He got home from doing the tasks around the inn for Mia nearly two hours ago. He hoped he'd see Lorelai, but he didn't. She didn't seem to be around. He didn't want to seem like he was looking for her- even though he was- or desperate so he didn't ask about her. He just did what he had come to do and then went home and worked on his truck.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened or what?" Kevin asked.

Luke jumped when he heard someone talking to him and hit his head on the hood. "Ah jeez!" he shouted as he rubbed his head. He looked over the hood and saw Kevin. "Jesus Christ Kevin, don't do that! I could have killed you."

"Whatever. So are you gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Luke asked as he wiped the grease off his hands with a nearby rag.

"Tell me what happened with that chick the other night. That chick from the inn."

"Please stop calling her 'that chick'. She has a name."

"I wasn't paying attention." Luke rolled his eyes. "Come on man, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"So you just totally bailed on me after school for no reason?"

"I did not bail on you."

"You took off right when the bell rang without so much as a word to me to go to the inn to see…"

"Lorelai."

"Who?"

"Lorelai, she's the girl at the inn. She told you her name."

"I probably wasn't paying attention."

"To what she was saying."

"Nonetheless, you bolted to the inn to see her. Or did you just forget we were supposed to go fishing with Jackson and Andrew today."

"Oh crap. I totally forgot. I'm sorry man. I got caught up. I'll make it up to you guys. I swear."

"Make it up to us by giving us details."

"There are no details."

"You mean to tell me that you didn't do anything with her in the pottery shed?"

"I'm sorry Kev, but unlike you, I have dignity."

"Are you gonna ask her to come to the party with you?"

"You really know how to take no for an answer don't you?"

"Come on, you can double with me and Sarah."

"Are you insane? I can't double with you and Sarah!"

"Ok, you really need to chill out. For the last time, you and Rachel broke up _months_ ago. No one expects you to stay single forever. Not even Sarah. She doesn't hate you because you're not with her cousin anymore."

"We didn't break up."

What?"

"Rachel and I. We didn't break up."

"Does she know that because I don't think she does."

"We talked about it the other day. We're on a break."

"That's wuss for 'I'm chicken to ask the new girl out.' I know you like her, so just ask her out."

"I do _not _like her."

"Yeah right! You met her twice and you talk about her like you've known her all your life. Stop denying it. If you like her, go for it. You're a great guy and women would be lucky to date you."

"Says the man that's already found the woman he's going to spend the rest of his life with."

"Some of us are born lucky and others have to get lucky." Kevin patted Luke on the shoulder. "Get lucky Luke." Luke shook his head. "I gotta go home for dinner. I'll see you tomorrow."

Luke sighed. He shut the hood and headed inside the house, thinking about what his friend had said to him. Maybe he should go for it. But then again, he _was_ Luke Danes. He thought about all the practicalities before he did anything. The biggest factor in his relationship- should there be one- was her baby. Lorelai was going to have to do what was best for that little girl and she might decide what's best for her is her real father. He didn't want to take the risk of getting attached to the girl if Lorelai was just going to rip her away, but oddly enough, he wanted to be bold. For once in his life, he wanted to be a risk taker. His head began to hurt from trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He decided he'd just leave it up to Lorelai. If she wanted him to make a move, he'd make a move. The ball was in her court.

* * *

Lorelai let out an exasperated sigh as she walked into her make-shift home. She put Rory in her crib. She was a little frustrated that she didn't get to see Luke today. She finished her second round just in time to see him walk out the front door. She was going to call out to him, but she didn't want people to think she was desperate. It wasn't like she liked him or anything. She just needed to ask him about his offer. Sure. That was it. 

Lorelai stared down at her daughter. "What do you think?" she asked the baby. "Should I call him? He was the one that offered to show me around town. It's just a friendly gesture right? He _did _give _me_ _his_ phone number. I'm being polite by calling to schedule a day for him to show me around town. And I need to know the town. So I should call him right?" Rory's blank expression turned into a smile.

Lorelai wanted to think that her one month old daughter really understood what she was saying, but she knew Rory just thought Mommy was playing with her. Nonetheless, she got her "answer." Lorelai walked over to the bed and picked up the phone. She looked at the piece of paper Luke had scribbled his name and number on. Suddenly, she found herself unable to dial the number. She would pick up the phone to call Luke five more times and each time, she would hang up before her fingers got near the dialing pad. Three times she dialed the first three numbers and twice she had gotten to the sixth digit before chickening out. With a frustrated sigh, she slammed the phone down.

"Urgh!" she groaned. "Why is this so hard? It's just a friendly phone call."

She took a deep breath and picked up the phone again, completing the dialing process. The phone rang three times before someone answered it.

"Hello?" a female voice asked.

"Hi, uh, is…is Luke home?" Lorelai stuttered.

"Let me check." Lorelai could hear the woman put the phone down and then there were voices in the background. "Luke!"

"What now Liz?" Luke yelled in the background.

"You have a phone call."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. Another girl." _Another girl? _Lorelai thought, feeling a little jealous and silly.

She heard Luke pick up the receiver and a second later, his voice came through the receiver. "Hello?" he asked. Lorelai expected herself to say something, she wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. So, Luke spoke again. "Hello? Anyone there?"

Lorelai immediately hung up. "Ok, that went well," Lorelai said sarcastically to herself. She debated with herself about giving it another try. Each time she actually mustered up the courage to call Luke, she hung up when she heard his voice on the other end. "Urgh! What's wrong with me? Just pick up the phone, call him, and don't hang up. Simple as that Gilmore."

She picked up the phone once more, repeating "I will not hang up" over and over in her head as she dialed the number. The busy signal blared through the receiver.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said to the phone. "I finally decide not to hang up and it's busy? Stupid karma."

Lorelai fell back onto her bed. She lazily reached for a pillow, put it over her face, and let out a well deserved scream.

* * *

Lorelai woke up feeling tired. Partially because Rory kept her up half the night. The other factors were work and Luke. If it was at all possible to wear yourself out from trying to call someone, Lorelai made it possible. In the past few days, she found out it wasn't as easy as you'd think to pick up a phone and just call a guy. Every time she was about to call him- or when she called and hung up- she felt nervous. She questioned his motives for offering to show her around town. Was it just a ploy to get her to call him or was he really sincere? Whatever the answer may be, she decided to put in the back of her mind today. Today she would not think of Luke Danes. 

Lorelai pushed Rory's stroller down the aisle with a basket in her hand. Since she had the day off, she thought it would be a great opportunity to pick up some groceries. She only picked up the essentials she knew she would need to last the rest of the week- diapers, wipes, and some food for her. She picked up some cereal and headed to the counter. The man at the counter looked like he was in his late thirties, maybe forties. There was grey in his hair and beard. She figured he was Mr. Doose by the manager pin on his cardigan sweater.

"That'll be twenty thirty-two," the man said.

Lorelai dug around in her purse for money, but couldn't find the money. "Where the heck is my wallet?" Lorelai asked herself as she continued to dig through her purse.

The man behind the counter began to get impatient. "Young lady, there are other people in line."

"I know. I have the money here somewhere."

Luke heard Lorelai's voice and quickly made his way to the front of the store. He saw she was having some money problem and ran over to the counter. "There you are," Luke said. Lorelai looked at him questionably. "I was looking all over for you. I didn't mean to take so long."

"Do you know this young woman Luke?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry Taylor, she's with me."

"I didn't realize you were dating _another_ girl."

"Uh…yeah." Luke handed Taylor a bottle of motor oil. "Well, uh, how much do I owe?"

"Your new total is twenty-four sixteen." Luke handed Taylor some money. "Thank you Luke and you and your new lady friend have a nice day."

"Sure. Thanks." Luke grabbed the grocery bag and helped Lorelai out of Doose's. "Ok, rule number one: don't walk into Doose's or any other store without money."

"I thought my wallet was in my purse _sweet heart_," Lorelai remarked.

"Ah jeez. I had to do something. Taylor was about go crazy."

"What did he mean when he said _another_ girl?"

"Huh? Oh nothing. Taylor's just exaggerating. He's a putz. Honestly, I don't date a lot." Feeling uncomfortable about the conversation, Luke decided to change the subject. "You never called. Not that I was waiting. I just didn't see you at the inn and I thought you'd call instead."

"Oh yeah. I, uh, forgot."

"I tend to do that sometimes too. It's usually because I have a busy schedule. I don't have much free time with baseball, track, work, fixing my truck, school. Hey, are you going back to school?"

"I don't think so."

"You should. Just because you have a baby doesn't mean you can't have an education too."

"Well, what about Rory?"

"Patty watches my nephew while Liz is at school. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching Rory too."

"I'll think about it."

"But of course, if you were going to go back to school, you'd need to know where the school is."

"Didn't you just say you don't have any free time?"

"No. I said I don't have _much_ free time. I have free time, it's just mostly at night. So, would you like me to give you a tour of the town?"

"Sure."

"When?"

"How about now?"

"Actually, I'm busy right now. I have to change the oil in my truck." Luke looked up and noticed Miss Patty standing outside her studio whispering something to Babette as she pointed at them. "Hey you see that lady over there in front of the dance studio?"

"Yeah."

"That's Miss Patty. The blonde short woman with her is Babette. They're the local gossip queens and by the looks of it, we're gonna be this month's big scoop."

"What? Why?"

"One, we made a pretty big scene back at Doose's meaning Babette probably was in the store when I said you were my girlfriend. And two, you're pushing a stroller. God only knows what they're thinking about that. We should probably go our separate ways before those two make this out to be more than a friendly meeting."

"Wow. You're breaking up with me before we even started dating."

"What about tomorrow night?"

"What _about_ tomorrow night?"

"Do you want me to show you around town tomorrow night?"

"Uh, sure."

"Good. I'll figure out details later so give me a call tonight."

"Ok, I'll talk to you later then."

Luke smiled at Lorelai and headed in the direction of his house. He paused and faced her again. "Oh and this time, try to stay on the phone long enough to actually talk to me."

Lorelai could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn't believe he knew. "I'll try." Luke waved to her before running down the street. The whole way back to the inn, all Lorelai could think of was Luke Danes.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update my stories. I had a lot to deal with this past week and I barely had time to write. I'll try to get another update sometime in the next few days.**


	4. Swimming in the Rain

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**A/N: This chapter was inspired by Liz Phair's "Why Can't I?"**

**Chapter 4**

Luke let out a sigh as he walked down the stairs, buttoning his flannel shirt. Liz heard her older brother stumbling downstairs and looked up. She noticed he was wearing his favorite and nicest flannel shirt. It was blue and brought out his eyes. He only wore it on game days because he thought it would bring him luck and it almost always did.

"Who's the girl?" Liz asked as she put Jess in his bassinet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke replied grabbing his hat and put it on backwards.

Liz faced her older brother. "Look at yourself Luke. You're antsy. You don't smell. You're wearing your best flannel shirt. And by the looks of it, you shaved. There's got to be a girl involved."

"I'm just helping out a friend. She's new in town and…"

"_She_. So there _is_ a girl in the picture. Who is it? Is it Taylor's niece again? Or Miranda? Or Betsy? Oh no. Is it Nicole Leahy? It's Nicole isn't it? God I hate her. Luke, you can do better than that."

"Liz! It's not Miranda or Betsy or Taylor's niece Monica. And it is definitely _not_ Nicole Leahy. And before you ask, it's not one of your friends either. Especially not Carrie."

"This is the girl with the stroller Patty saw you with yesterday isn't it?"

"She's a friend and she's new in town. I'm just showing her around." A grin appeared on her face. "Don't look at me like that. She's a friend and that's it. I swear."

"Not according to Patty, Babette, Taylor, and everyone else in Doose's when you declared that she was your girlfriend at the register."

"She needed money and Taylor put me on the spot."

"Sure he did. When did you meet her?"

"About a month ago."

"Where?"

"Hartford."

"When I was in the hospital?" He looked away from his sister's glare. "Oh my God. This is the girl isn't it? This is the girl you went to the delivery room with."

"Her name is Lorelai Gilmore and she needed my help. At the hospital and at Doose's. She is my friend and _just_ my friend. I have to go. I'm supposed to pick her up at six. When Dad gets home, tell him I'll try not to be late." He took his keys out of his pocket and headed for the front door.

Luke wasn't sure why he was so defensive. He figured it was just his nerves getting the best of him. God this was going to be a long night.

* * *

Lorelai ran around the shed, desperately trying to find something to wear. She didn't want to be too dressed up, but that the same time she didn't want to be too casual. She grabbed a few tops and bottoms to go with them. She placed the tops on the bed and put a few respective bottoms with them until she was down to three outfits. Eventually she decided on the blue top and jeans. It was five forty-five and Luke was picking her up at six, so she got dressed as fast as she could. 

Afterwards, she grabbed a few bottles and some clothes for Rory and tossed them in the baby bag. She picked up Rory, her purse, and the baby bag and headed toward the door. When she opened it, she came face to face with Luke.

"Uh, hi," he greeted a little nervously. "I didn't know if I was supposed to meet you here or at the inn, so I came here."

"Yeah, we never really specified that. I was just going to drop Rory off at the inn. Mia said she'd babysit while we were out."

"I'll walk with you. Can I carry the baby bag for you?"

"Sure. Thank you." Lorelai handed Luke the baby bag and they headed to the inn.

* * *

_Present Day_

Rory loved hearing this part as a little girl. She listened intently as Patty prepared her fairytale version of what happened when she heard someone walk up behind her. "I hear this is a good part," a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Rory quickly turned around to come face to face with her mother. "Mom!" Rory squealed as quietly as she could as she threw her arms around Lorelai.

"Hey there kiddo," Lorelai smiled as she hugged her daughter back. "I thought you were coming home next week."

"I decided to come up a week early."

"Oh honey, I wish you had called before you came."

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, I couldn't miss Miss Patty's version of the story."

"You of all people would know this story by heart."

"I can't get enough of hearing it. Man, it's so hard to believe that the Luke in Patty's story is the same Luke that runs the diner."

"Yeah, well, things change." Lorelai's smile faded for a second, but she recovered quickly, hoping her daughter didn't catch it. "Hey, let's listen. This is the good part."

* * *

_1984_

Luke and Lorelai strolled down the street side by side, keeping a safe amount of distance between eachother. He pointed out some places and followed up with little stories. The tour was coming to a close as they neared town square. "That place down the street was Weston's Bakery," Luke informed. "Kinda fruity, but makes great pastries."

"It's not one of those really weird chirpy diners with the freakishly happy waitresses that think everything in the world is good and always smile?"

"It's not that fruity. They do, although, have ceramic cow creamers. That's enough fruit for me. Ok, you know about Doose's, the studio across the street is Miss Patty's Dance Studio. She teaches just about all types of dance. Another little tidbit about Patty, she's the town gossip so if you ever need to know something, go to her. That's Kim's Antiques. Mrs. Kim is really scary- short, Christian Korean woman-, but they have nice furniture. Across the street is Stars Hollow High School." He led them to the gazebo in the middle of the square. "And this is the town gazebo. It's been here for over a hundred years."

"Wow, it's beautiful." Luke took a seat inside the gazebo and Lorelai sat next to him.

"The store down the street is the bookstore. My buddy Andrew works there so if you ever need a book, ask for Andrew and tell him you know me. Then there's the flower shop. And last but not least, the charming store at the end is where I work."

"William's Hardware?"

"Yup. My father owns the store and I help out when I can."

"So you're gonna take over the store when your dad retires?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I kinda want to start my own business. A diner or something."

"A diner? That's a major turn around from a hardware store."

"I'm not as passionate about the hardware business as my father is. I really like cooking so I should at least make a few bucks while I'm at it."

"Good point."

"The rest of town is basically home and the lake. Everyone loves to go down there for a swim. And it's got this great view at night with the moon on the water. It's great."

"Then let's go."

"Go where?"

"To the lake. If this view is as great as you say it is, I want to see it."

"Uh, ok."

Luke stood up and offered his hand to Lorelai. She slipped her small into his large one and he helped her to her feet. He couldn't stop thinking about how soft her skin was. He unconsciously rubbed his thumb over a small part of her hand. Snapping out of his trance, he led them down the street, never letting go of her hand.

"Are you having fun?" he asked, breaking the silence that had been created between them.

"Yeah," she replied. "Who knew a small town like this would have so many stories behind it?"

"Not many people." Luke carefully hopped off the sidewalk. "Ok, watch out for that dip."

"What di..." The tip of Lorelai's shoe got caught in the dip and caused her to trip. Luckily, she fell right into Luke.

"Whoa! Are you…" Luke trailed off when Lorelai looked up at him and their eyes met. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe and he forgot how to speak. They stared at each other for a moment. "Are…are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm ok. Thank you for catching me."

"You're welcome." Their faces were an inch apart by now. Luke wanted to lean down and kiss her, but in the corner of his eye he spotted Patty and Babette watching them from Patty's studio. He couldn't further feed their rumors about him. He helped her back to her feet. "Come on, we better get going before it gets too late."

The walk to the lake was silent after that awkward moment after Lorelai tripped. They both felt the electricity between them, but they were both too stubborn to admit, let alone act, on it. Instead, they walked in silence, keeping a safe distance between each other. Luke was especially cautious. He didn't know where he and Rachel stood. What the hell was being "on a break" mean anyway? Were they together? Were they broken up? Were they being "casual" about their relationship? Why did women have to be so confusing?

They sat on the bridge with their legs swinging back and forth over the edge as they enjoyed the sight before them. Luke was right. The night moon reflecting off the still water was amazing.

"Can I ask you something?" Luke finally asked.

"Sure," Lorelai replied.

"If you tell a guy you're 'on a break', does that mean…"

"You're broken up. It's another way of saying, 'I want to see other people, but have you in my back pocket in case things don't go well'."

"I can't believe I'm a back pocket guy." Lorelai couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you laughing? This isn't funny."

"If you saw your face, you'd be laughing too. You didn't know you were broken up?"

"I do now! You women need to be clearer on what you want."

"Oh and guys are just open books right?"

"Hey, breaks are like calling time-out in a game. You take a moment to figure out a plan and then you're right back into the game."

"Why does dating have to be a game to guys?"

"If dating was a game, it'd be one sport I wouldn't play. On a break. What a joke."

"Don't act like guys don't have back pocket girls."

"They're called friends with benefits. We don't use that break crap. I've never felt so pathetic."

"You're not pathetic."

"My girlfriend, or should I say _ex-girlfriend_ tucked me away in her back pocket. How much worse can this get?" As if on cue, there was a roll of thunder and rain started to fall from the sky. Luke lowered his head and shook it. "I just had to ask."

Lorelai laughed. She patted him on his back and shouted above the sound of the heavy falling rain, "Cheer up. It's not so bad. Come on. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it's what you said. She's taking time to think about what she wants. You're not broken up until _you_ say you're broken up."

He didn't seem to be cheering up. Then she came up with an idea. She stood up and took a few steps back. Luke looked over his shoulder to see what she was up to. His eyes widened in shock when she started to shed her clothes. "What are you doing?"

Lorelai looked down at Luke, wearing nothing more than her bra and panties. "I'm going swimming. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're getting naked."

"Then why are you looking?" He returned his focus to the water. "Take your clothes off."

His head shot up. "What? No."

"I don't want to swim alone."

"Then don't. Come on Lorelai, it's raining. Put your clothes back on and let's go home."

"Take your clothes off and swim with me."

"No."

"Luke, we're already wet. We might as well go swimming."

Luke stood his ground. He said no and meant it. He refused to give in, but when she looked at him with those pleading, beautiful blue eyes, any chance of him standing firmly with his decision was shot to hell. With a sigh, he got up and started to strip down. "I can't believe I'm doing this. If I die of hypothermia, I'm coming back to life to haunt you."

"You're not going to die of…" Lorelai trailed off when he took off his last shirt, revealing his well built body to her. Good Lord he was cut!

"What?"

"Nothing. Nice boxers," she said, pointing to his plaid boxer shorts.

"I'll put my clothes back on and go home."

"What? I was complimenting you."

"Sure you were."

They walked to the edge and looked down at the water. "Ok, on three." She took his hand. "One, two, three!" They held hands as they jumped into the water. Lorelai started to shiver when the water hit her. "Oh my God! It's cold!"

"What were you expecting? A jacuzzi?"

"I didn't think it would be freezing!"

Luke started to laugh and Lorelai playfully slapped his chest. She was gonna use any excuse to touch him. "Come here."

"Why?"

"Because it's cold and body heat makes you warm." He was going to use any excuse to get close to her too. Lorelai swam over to him. When he wrapped his strong arms around her, she shivered at the body to body contact. "Still cold?"

Feeling his chest pressed against hers and his arms wrapped around her warmed her up in a second. "Nope. I guess swimming in the rain was a bad idea."

"I don't think it's that bad."

He smiled at her, warming her body again. A minute ago she thought she was going to turn into a icicle, but the minute he held her, smiled at her she felt like she was burning up. They looked into each other's eyes again, feeling the connection from earlier. Luke was about to kiss her when they heard two pairs of footsteps walking on to the bridge. They looked up to see Kevin Gleason and his girlfriend looking over the bridge with an umbrella over them.

Kevin grinned and shouted over the rain, "Nice night for a swim?"

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1984- Luke and Rachelcome to a conclusion about their relationship.Lorelai meets Sookie St. James. Luke invites Lorelai to a party._**

**A/N: I know Lorelai's definition of being "on a break" isn't true. At least, in my opinion it's not. I thought it would be funny to bring up the classic Ross and Rachel "We were on a break!" dispute with a _Gilmore Girls_** **twist.**


	5. An Innocent Swim

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 5**

After the little scene at the lake, Luke walked Lorelai home, both completely drenched. Before leaving, Luke made Lorelai promise to think about going back to school. Now, back in the pottery shed with a sleeping Rory, Lorelai paced around in her little living space, contemplating whether or not to pick up the phone and call her father. She kept hearing her his voice saying, "To get somewhere in life, Lorelai, you need to get an education. Knowledge is power."

The most intimidating thing about Richard Gilmore wasn't the fact that he stood over six feet tall or wore a business suit everyday of his life, it was knowing he was a very intelligent man. The Yale graduate told each and every one of his friends, colleagues, and even those he disliked that his daughter was Yale bound. He bragged about how smart and witty she was, a true Gilmore. Lorelai watched as that dream slipped away the day she told him she was pregnant. She at least needed to graduate high school. That way, maybe she wouldn't be such a disappointment to him.

"Gilmore residence," the maid greeted.

"Hi, is Mr. Gilmore in?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes he is. May I ask who's calling?"

"Uh, his daughter, Lorelai Gilmore."

"Please hold Miss Gilmore."

Lorelai waited nervously for her father. It wasn't long before she heard his voice on the other end. "Lorelai?" Richard asked, hoping this wasn't just a cruel joke.

"Hi Daddy," Lorelai greeted.

"Oh thank God, it is you. Your mother and I miss you and the baby dearly, Lorelai. Are you alright? How's Rory? Where are you? Are you coming home?"

"Dad, calm down. I'm fine, Rory's fine, we're fine. And... and we're not coming home. I need a favor. I need you to send transfer papers to Stars Hollow High so I can go to school." Richard said nothing. "Dad?"

"I wish you would come home," he said softly.

"I can't. Not now. It's too soon." She could tell he wanted to know why. "I couldn't take it. The pressure, Christopher, Mom…"

"I'll send the papers immediately," Richard interrupted, fearing his name would be next.

"Thank you Daddy." There was a long silence before Lorelai spoke again. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing what I can."

"That's good. I just need time. We'll visit soon, but just not yet. So can you please not send a SWAT team to drag us home?"

"I won't."

"Ok. Well, I have to go."

"Oh. Ok. Take care."

"I will. Bye Dad."

"Goodbye Lorelai." Richard slowly put the receiver down and leaned back in his chair. He covered his mouth with his hand as he sat in silence in his study. Before he knew it, he was crying.

* * *

The next day, Luke left his house as quickly as possible to avoid his father. In a town like Stars Hollow, news traveled as fast as light. People knew the new gossip within five seconds from when it happened. Luke skipped breakfast that morning and told his sister he'd be waiting in the car for her. He groaned was people stopped to stare and whisper when they saw him. Because of the fast traveling gossip in Stars Hollow, it tended to be embellished. He could only imagine what they had turned an innocent swim in the rain into. Things weren't any easier at school either. Luke had always been known as a ladies man when he was unattached, but what were they to think of Lorelai? They didn't know her and he didn't want them to think of her in a way that wasn't appropriate. Luke felt the need to protect her. She shouldn't have a bad reputation with people she didn't know. He'd start with his friends. 

"Nothing happened," Luke stated again.

"Come on Luke. Why won't you tell us what happened?" Andrew asked.

"Because _nothing happened_."

"That's not what I heard," Jackson remarked.

"Well, then you heard wrong. Lorelai is a nice, sweet girl and nothing happened. It was an innocent swim."

"Not from where I was standing," Kevin laughed.

"You stay out of this. You only make things worse."

"Hey, I'm just saying that from what I saw, your 'innocent swim' was about to turn naughty."

"Then you need to get your eyes checked because you're imagining things."

"You can ask Sarah. She saw what I saw."

"That's right, Sarah was there," Andrew said.

"Do you think she told Rachel?" Jackson asked.

"I'm pretty sure she did," Kevin replied.

"How do you know?" Luke asked.

"Because they're headed this way." Kevin pointed behind Luke.

"Ah jeez." Luke stood as Rachel and Sarah approached them. "Hey R…"

"We need to talk," Rachel interrupted.

"Can we talk here?"

"Why?"

"So there are witnesses."

"Luke, let's go."

_It was worth a try_, he thought to himself. They walked across the quad to be alone. They sat on the bench and Luke faced Rachel. "Rachel, nothing happened," he stated instantly. "She's new in town and I promised her I'd show her around town. It was an innocent swim in the rain."

"It's never an innocent swim in the rain Luke. How would you feel if someone told you I went swimming in the rain with Trent Doose? Or Bootsy?

"I'd wonder what the hell you were thinking going out with those dumbasses." Rachel gave him a serious look. "I was feeling down and she thought it'd cheer me up to just…swim."

"What did you have to feel down about?"

"You and me! You said we were on a break. I didn't know that meant you were dumping me!"

"I didn't dump you. Being on a break is taking time apart from someone to see what you really want from a relationship."

"And what do you want Rachel?"

"I want the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth. Nothing happed. Wait, you don't think…" Rachel looked into Luke's eyes, confirming what he thought. "Oh Rachel. No. Lorelai and I…we're just…she…"

"Listen to yourself Luke. You can't even say it."

"I barely know her. We're friends."

"No, _we_ are friends. I know you have a thing for her."

"No I don't."

"Then why are you the only person that knows her?"

"Kevin and Sarah…"

"_Met_ her. They can't even remember her name, but you know her better than anyone else. Come on Luke, we both knew this was going to happen eventually. If not this girl, it'd be someone else. I love you Luke, but we can't ignore this. We want different things and no matter how hard we try, it's not gonna work out for us."

"I know. It's just…" Luke sighed. "I wanted it to work."

"So did I." She smiled as they both stood.

Luke hugged Rachel, forcing a smile as they pulled apart. "I did love you, you know that right?"

"I know did." Rachel took a deep breath. "You _did. _Goodbye Luke." She put her hands on his face and brought him in for a kiss for the last time before walking away.

* * *

Richard wasted no time in transferring his daughter to Stars Hollow High. He pulled some strings and got her enrolled that morning so she could start classes that same day. So, after receiving a call from her father, Lorelai left Rory with Mia, did some quick shopping, and headed to school just before noon. She sauntered onto the school grounds with a big smile across her face. 

Because she was the new kid in town, the only person she knew was Luke. Well, she'd met Kevin and Sarah last night, but it was a rather awkward moment. She felt comfortable around Luke. She knew there was an attraction between them, but unlike the other men she'd met, he didn't act on it. He was being a true gentleman. Although it bugged the hell out of her, she admired his nobility and respect for her.

As she walked onto campus, she spotted Luke sitting on a bench with a skinny, dirty-blonde haired girl. They stood up and hugged. Luke smiled at the girl when they pulled apart. But when they kissed, Lorelai had seen enough. She turned around quickly, ready to run away, but bumped into a girl and accidentally knocked her books out of her hands.

"Oh man. I'm so sorry," Lorelai apologized as she helped the girl gather her things. "I didn't see you there."

"It's ok," the girl said. "I'm kinda prone to accidents." The girl looked up at Lorelai. "I've never seen you around. Are you new?"

"Yeah, it's my first day."

"Really? That's cool! I'm Sookie St. James." Sookie extended her hand to Lorelai.

Lorelai shook her hand. "I'm Lorelai Gilmore."

"Lorelai Gilmore. I tell you, that name sounds familiar. Hm." Sookie thought for a minute, trying to remember where she'd heard the name. "Oh well. It doesn't matter. Hey, would you like to hang out with me? I'm not the most popular person around here, but I'm someone."

"Sure."

"Great! Yay! A new friend! Oh crap."

"What?"

"I forgot my home ec. notes at home. Wanna come with me to get them from someone? I can introduce you to people."

"Ok," Lorelai laughed.

"Ok, this way." They walked over to a large group that seemed to be surrounding someone. Eager to know what was going on, Sookie asked one of the guys. "Hey Kirk."

"Yes?" Kirk asked. "Oh, hi Sookie."

"What's going on?"

"Rachel dumped Luke."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. She found out about Luke and that girl and she cut him loose no more than five minutes ago. He looks like he just got hit my a train."

"Poor Luke. I thought it was just an innocent swim."

"It was," Lorelai interrupted, feeling really guilty.

Sookie and Kirk looked at Lorelai awkwardly. "Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this. You coming Kirk?"

"Yes. This was as close as my brother would let me get to Luke. He thinks I'll say something wrong. You make one mistake…"

"Let's go Kirk." Sookie, Lorelai, and Kirk made their way through the crowd. "By the way, Kirk this is Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai, Kirk Gleason."

"Gleason? Your brother wouldn't happen to be Kevin would it?" Lorelai asked.

"One of them. Do you know him?" Kirk asked.

"You can say that."

* * *

"Come on man," Jackson Mellville said to his bummed out buddy. "Cheer up." 

"She's just a girl," Andrew, another of the guys, added.

"That's my cousin asshole," Sarah snapped at Andrew, shooting him a deadly glare.

Kevin took a seat next to Luke, who was slumped forward with his face buried in his hands. "It's not the end of the world Luke," he said. "You knew this was bound to happen sooner or later."

"A break is taking time to think about what you want from a relationship," Luke said without looking up. "We weren't broken up."

"Well, you are now," Kirk blurted out.

"Kirk, I thought I told you to stay in the back!" Kevin scolded. Luke shook his head and got up. "Where you going?"

"I appreciate the support, but I need some time to myself right now," Luke said, refusing to look at the group.

Kevin noticed the two women with his younger brother. "Luke!"

"What now?" Luke turned around and froze when he saw Lorelai. "Lorelai?"

"Lorelai?" Jackson said. "This is Lorelai? _The _Lorelai?"

"Hot damn she's hot," Andrew stated.

"Shut up Andrew!" Luke yelled as he made his way back to the group and walked up to Lorelai. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to school, duh," Lorelai joked.

"No, I meant…"

"Sookie needed home ec. notes."

"You know Sookie?"

"Oh yeah. We're best friends now. Right Sook?" Lorelai joked as she put her arm around Sookie.

"Of course we are!" Sookie laughed. "But seriously Luke, I need those notes. You got 'em?"

"Yeah. They're in my locker," Luke replied. "Come on, I'll get them for you." Sookie, Lorelai, Kirk, Kevin, and Sarah followed Luke to his locker.

"For the record, everyone knows how you felt about Rachel. If you said it was an innocent swim, then I believe you."

"Thank you Sookie." Luke sighed and put his arm around Sookie. "Sometimes I feel like you and Kirk are the only people that understand me."

"Hey, what about me?" Kevin asked, pretending to be hurt. "Here I thought we were best friends since we were two. Hey, let's get drunk tonight."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're a bachelor again. Sing a whiskey lullaby."

"A what?" Lorelai asked.

"A whiskey lullaby is a stupid term they use for drowning your sorrows in alcohol until you pass out," Sarah informed.

"That can't be good."

"It's not. It's _very dangerous_. You can die of alcohol poisoning."

"No one's ever died of a whiskey lullaby," Kevin said.

"Yes they have!"

"All I'm saying is he needs to do something other then wallow."

"I'm not wallowing," Luke defended himself.

"Denial is the first stage of wallowing, You need to get out of the house and hang out with your boys now that you're not tied down."

"You do realize your girlfriend is standing right next to you right?"

"Look, I'm saying you need to do something other than jack off."

"Ah jeez," Luke groaned as he started to walk ahead of the group.

"What? What I say?"

"Could you be any cruder?" Sookie scolded.

Luke pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Kevin, hitting him in shoulder. "Ah! What the hell was that for?" Kevin yelled.

"For being a little bitch!" Luke yelled back.

"That almost hit my head!"

"That's what I was aiming for! Stay away from me you friggin' perv!"

"I was joking! Jeez, Mr. Sensitivity!"

"Jackass!" When they got to the lockers, Luke gave Sookie his notes. "There you go."

"Thanks so much Luke."

"No problem."

"Hey Luke, are you going to the party?" Sarah asked. "You can bring Lorelai."

"Huh? What party?" Lorelai asked, completely out of the loop.

"Nothing," Luke said. "I'm not…"

"It's this great party," Kevin interrupted. "Every year the town has a hay ride around town that lasts all night, leaving the local barnyard completely empty. So while all the adults and little kiddies go for the hay ride, we teenagers get down on the farm. A barnyard party if you would."

"They're fun," Sookie added. "I went last year and it's just like a high school dance minus chaperones and plus alcohol."

"They're stupid," Luke stated.

"Quit being a downer. Come on guys. Let's leave the sour puss to wallow," Kevin teased. "Just think about it. And remember: lucky!" He, Kirk, Sarah, and Sookie started to walk away.

"Lorelai, you coming?" Sookie asked.

"You go ahead, I wanna talk to Luke for a minute," Lorelai replied.

"If you say so." Sookie waved to her new friend and followed the rest of the group.

"Luke, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" Luke asked.

"For misinforming you about 'breaks'."

"Don't worry about it."

"I didn't mean for your girlfriend to break up with you."

"It was bound to happen anyway."

"I feel guilty. Maybe I can talk to her. I'll explain that it really was just a swim. I'll have Sookie point her out."

Lorelai was going to go catch up with Sookie, but Luke grabbed her arm. "Lorelai, don't. Rachel and I would have broken up with or without the swimming incident. We couldn't make it work."

"I just feel like it's my fault."

"Well, don't. It's not."

"Are you sure? Because I'm very persuasive."

"I'm sure, but thank you anyway."

"You're welcome."

Luke let go of Lorelai's arm. "So, what do you think about that party?"

"What party?"

"The barnyard party."

"I think it sounds like fun," Lorelai laughed. "I've never been to one."

"Do you wanna go? I can take you."

"I thought you weren't going to go."

"I changed my mind. So, do you wanna go with me?"

"Uh, sure," Lorelai smiled.

"Good."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": Sookie accuses Lorelai of having a thing for Luke- who quickly denies. Lorelai meets Liz Danes and her friend "Crazy Carrie" when she goes to the Danes residence to meet up with Luke for the party. When things get out of hand at the barnyard party, opportunities and temptations arise for a very drunk Lorelai and a not-so-much-more-sober Luke._**


	6. Luke the Ladies Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 6**

Lorelai and Sookie sat at the lunch tables with books and papers scattered around the table. Sookie was engrossed in her school work while Lorelai's mind was else where. "Do you have your notes from chemistry?" Sookie asked.

"Mm hm," Lorelai replied absentmindedly.

"Can I see them?"

"Mm hm."

Sookie held out her hand and waited for Lorelai to hand over the notes. "Lorelai, the notes."

"What notes?"

"The chem notes. You just said I could look at yours."

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that." Lorelai dug through her bag and handed Sookie her notes.

"So, what's got you so distracted?"

"Uh, nothing."

Sookie looked up and noticed who was across the way. "Does something happen to be wearing a flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap?"

"What are you…" She trailed off when she realized who Sookie was talking about. "Luke? No! Of course not. No. No."

"You're staring at him."

"I'm not staring at _him_. I'm staring at…space."

"You're staring at space he just so happens to be occupying."

"I'm not staring at his space! Besides, there's like five other guys with him."

"So you're staring at Kevin? Or is it Kirk? Andrew? Or maybe you're staring at Jackson."

"I'm not staring at them! Besides, you like Jackson so why would I stare at him?"

"I don't like Jackson."

"I don't like Luke."

"He's a good-looking man and a perfect gentleman. He takes care of his sister's baby even though he has a million things to do. He's a wonderful cook and he makes the greatest coffee."

"Sookie…wait, did you say coffee? I love coffee."

"See. You're a perfect match. And if you ask me. I think he likes you."

"Ok, now you're crazy. He does not like me."

"I don't know any guy that'll do what he does for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"He dropped everything just so he could show you around town. Honey, this is Stars Hollow. You take three right turns and you're right back where you started."

"I know Luke is a great guy. Yes, he is very nice and very sweet and does things for me. I'll admit he _is _a verygood-looking man, but that doesn't mean I like him."

"I said he was a good-looking."

"What?"

"I said he was good-looking, you added _very._"

"Sookie, there is no denying he is an attractive man. But he's just a friend."

"Ok. I won't say another word." They went back to studying.

A minute passed when Lorelai finally broke the silence. "Can you tell me about him?"

"I was hoping you asked," Sookie said excitedly. "Ok. I've known the Danes family for about twelve years. He's got a younger sister, Liz. She just had a baby, Jess. He's had two serious previous relationship. The first was with, of course, Rachel. And the other was Nicole. We didn't like her at all. She ended up cheating on him for God knows what reason. Luke and Rachel have been off and on for about four years. The first time she left him was really bad. They had…"

"They had what?"

"You know."

"She left him after they…you know?"

"Yup. It was the first time for both of them and then she broke it off. He was devastated. He dated a little before he and Rachel hooked up again. Then there was Nicole. She was this snobby, rich girl from Lichfield. He was involved with her for six months before he found out she was sleeping with someone else. He dumped her and got back with Rachel. Now that he's free again, I wouldn't be surprised if every girl in the three surrounding counties tried to get with him."

"He's a real ladies man isn't he?"

"Who wouldn't wanna be with Luke? He's got brains, bronze, sentiment, and…well, you know."

"No. I don't. What else does he have?"

"Well, there's rumor that he's…well-equipt." Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "And stamina. _A lot_ of stamina. I heard he can make 'all night long' last until noon."

"How do yo know all this?"

"This is Stars Hollow. I got connections."

* * *

As Lorelai walked up the path toward the Danes residence, she noticed two girls sitting on the porch talking. They stopped when they heard Lorelai approaching. "Uh, hi," Lorelai greeted. 

"Hello," one of the girls greeted. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. Is Luke home?"

"He's inside, but I think he might be asleep. I'm his sister, Liz." Liz extended her hand to Lorelai.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Luke's told me a lot about you."

"Has he?"

"Oh. He tells me good things."

"Oh honey, he's got you lying for him already. Don't worry, I know I'm his biggest upset."

Lorelai laughed. "I'm Lorelai, by the way."

"I'm surprised I didn't know the minute I saw you with the way my brother talks about you."

"He talks about me?"

"All the time. He's very fond of you and your daughter. You should bring her around sometime. I'd love to meet her. Oh, Lorelai, this is my friend Carrie."

"Hello."

"Hi," Carrie greeted. "So Lorelai, you're Luke's new girl?" Her voice was oozing jealousy.

"I'm his _friend_, if that's what you mean."

"Sure. A _friend_. He's got a lot of those."

Lorelai wanted to smack the smirk off Carrie's face, but restrained herself. Just then, Luke walked out of the house in jeans, a white tee shirt, and, of course, his baseball cap. He looked like he'd just woken up and wasn't too happy about it.

"Geez bro, do you ever take that hat off?" Liz joked.

"The baby's crying," Luke grumbled.

"Pick him up."

Luke stared at his sister for a few seconds before repeating, "The baby's crying."

"Urgh, you're such a pain sometimes." Liz got up and went to get her son.

"I thought Jimmy was gonna watch him today. Where the hell is the jerk?"

"Do you mind not calling my son's father names?" Liz asked as she returned with Jess.

"It's not like I'm lying. The guy's a jerk."

"Whatever. You have a guest."

"Huh?" Luke turned his head and saw Lorelai.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Lorelai, you're here. Liz, why didn't you wake me up?"

"And face you like that? Gee Luke, I don't know," Liz said sarcastically.

"I'm gonna get ready real quick and we'll leave." Luke went inside to take a quick shower and get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, he walked out of the house in his usual clothes. "Ready to go?"

"Yup," Lorelai replied. "Bye Liz, Carrie. It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Liz said.

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's lower backand led her to his truck, opening her door and helping her in before getting in the driver's seat. "I see you've met Crazy Carrie," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. What's her deal anyway?" Lorelai asked.

"She's got a thing for me and goes crazy when she sees me talking to a girl. She tends to make up stories too. If anyone ever tells you I made out or did anything inappropriate with her behind the bleachers during a football game, it's a lie."

"Duly noted."

"I have more respect for women to take them behind bleachers to do something…"

"Dirty?"

"Yeah."

"I don't like her."

"That makes two of us."

Fifteen minutes later, Luke pulled into a dirt field where a nearby barn was lit by firelight and music filled the distant air. Luke and Lorelai headed toward the festivities and were greeted by Jackson, Sookie, Kevin, Sarah, Andrew, and Kirk.

"Look who decided to show up," Kevin smirked. "And lookie at who he brought."

"Don't read too much into it smart ass," Luke said. "I'm escorting Lorelai to the party."

"Escorting? Full service?"

"Kev, you're being crude again," Sarah warned. "Sorry about him Lorelai. He's getting tipsy."

"It's ok," Lorelai said.

"We'll let you boys have fun. Sookie, Lorelai, let's get a drink that won't give us a hangover."

Lorelai looked over at Luke. "Go ahead," he said. "I'll catch up with you later."

Sarah linked arms with Sookie and Lorelai and they headed toward the barn. Luke was surprised how comfortable Sarah and Lorelai felt around each other. He would have figured Sarah would hold a vendetta against the woman that was rumored to be the reason he and her cousin had broken up. Once the girls were in the barn, the guys decided to question Luke about Lorelai. They hounded him with questions, certain there was more to the story than he was letting up. Just when they thought he was going to crack, Luke caught a glimpse of something he certainly wasn't ready to see. It was Rachel…with another guy. It'd been nearly two weeks since they broke up and she was already seeing someone else and it broke Luke's heart. He'd been replaced. Now he knew how she must have felt hearing about him and Lorelai. Kevin, Jackson, Andrew, and Kirk saw what Luke did and they honestly felt sorry for their friend.

Kevin put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "I'm sorry man," he said.

"About what?" Luke asked, pretending he didn't know what Kevin was talking about. But the hurt in his voice said otherwise.

"You don't have to pretend with us man," Jackson added. "We know you loved her. It must hurt like hell to see her with another man."

"That's only half of it," Luke sighed.

* * *

Bootsy returned to his group of friends after being turned down and away by Lorelai Gilmore. "She turned you down didn't she?" Trent Doose mocked. 

"Shut up," Bootsy growled. "She'll hang around a loser like Butch, but she turns all of us down."

"She probably feels sorry for him," Ivan Gleason remarked. Ivan was Kevin's younger brother and Kirk's older. No one really knew why he hated Luke, they just knew he did.

Bootsy spotted Rachel and her date in the distance. He turned to see a devastated Luke drinking his way to oblivion. He had an idea. A sick idea. "Hey guys," he said. "I got a plan."

* * *

While Luke drowned his troubles in José Cuervo and using beer as his chaser, Bootsy and his pals decided if Lorelai wasn't going to loosen up, they'd do it for her. They'd create diversions and spiked her drinks while she, Sookie, and Sarah was distracted. Their mission was to get Lorelai to leave with one of them. Two hours and half a bottle of whiskey later, Lorelai was wasted. She could barely stand and laughed at everything. Meanwhile, Luke was sitting on a bench by himself working on another beer. He lost count of how many he had- he stopped counting after ten rounds. He was drunk, but still had the mind capacity to know what was going on. 

"Ok Lorelai, stay here," Sookie said as she sat her friend next to Luke.

"What's going on?" Andrew asked as he pried the empty bottle of scotch in Luke's hand.

"Someone did something to Lorelai," Sarah replied with a sigh. She gathered the group and took a few steps away from Luke and Lorelai. "Someone spiked Lorelai's drink. We have to find out who it was before Luke realizes she didn't get drunk on her own. He'll figure it out and he'll end up killing someone."

"Ok guys, time to play detective," Kevin sighed. They told Lorelai and Luke they'd be right back and left the two drunken people alone.

Luke turned his head and stared at Lorelai. She felt his eyes on her and stared back at him. Their eyes locked. "Your eyes are really pretty," she said honestly.

"So are yours," he said.

She moved closer to him and kissed his cheek. Then his other cheek. His nose. She kissed every part of his face, but his lips. She nibbled on his ear before moving to his neck. The kisses trailed down to his collar bone. He wanted to kiss her. God did he want to kiss her, but not like this. Not when he was drunk. Not when _she _was drunk. Hell, she probably didn't know what she was doing. But he did. Her hand found it's way to his thigh. He had to put an end to this before it went too far.

"Lorelai," he said, trying to regain composure. She kept kissing him, so he put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back. "We have to stop."

"Why?" she asked. Yeah. She was _definitely _drunk.

"Lorelai, you're drunk."

Her hand traveled inward. "And you're horny."

There was no denying that fact. Luke shut his eyes tightly when he felt her hard graze over his hardness. That's all it took for him. All sensibility he possessed was gone now. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself. He pulled back to stand and pull her to her feet. He took her by the hand and led her to his truck.

Kevin, Sarah, Jackson, Sookie, Andrew, and Kirk returned just in time to see Luke and Lorelai get into his truck.

"What are they doing?" Sarah asked in shock.

"It looks like they're leaving," Kirk replied.

"I know that stupid! I meant why! They're drunk!"

"Oh no," Kevin gasped when he realized what was going to happen- what Luke and Lorelai had in mind. Without a word, he darted off in chase of the truck. "No! Luke! Don't do this! Stop!"

He was too late. They were gone and about to make a big mistake.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": I want this next chapter to be a surprise so I won't do a preview. Ok. Just one. Lol. Let's just say Lorelai wakes up to more than just a hang over._**

**A/N: I know you all probably hate the way drunk Luke and drunk Lorelai act. It doesn't really sound like them, but that's the point of being drunk right? Not being yourself. To be honest, I didn't even expect them to turn out like this, but I'm gonna run with it anyway. And you'll be hearing more about Ivan Gleason later on.**


	7. The Morning After

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 7**

_1984_

Lorelai groaned as she woke up to the annoying buzzing sound of an alarm clock. That alarm set off the alarm in her head. That wasn't her alarm. Her alarm was blue, fuzzy, and never made noise even though it was supposed to. She opened her eyes. She definitely wasn't in her house. There was a guitar in the corner of the room, a uniform hanging over the back of a nearby chair, and…were the sheets flannel? Better yet, was she wearing a flannel shirt? Man her head hurt. She shut her eyes and tried to shut out the noise and remember what happened last night.

Suddenly, she felt something shift beside her and let out a manly groan. Oh no. She reached behind her, hoping to get a fist full of sheets, but boy was she wrong. She gasped when she grabbed…something other than sheets and quickly retreated her hand. _Please be a dream, please be a dream, _she begged in her mind.

"Stupid clock," the man that was 'just a friend' said as his bare arm reached over her for the alarm clock. His fist slammed down on the poor defenseless machine and silenced it. Lorelai immediately shot up and looked at the man lying next to her. It only confirmed what she had feared. She was in bed with a naked Luke. Well, a shirtless one at least.

"Ah!" she screeched.

"Ah!" Luke yelled, surprised as he was jolted from sleep. He was surprised by Lorelai's scream and fell out of the bed. "Damn it! Stupid boots!"

Lorelai looked over the edge of the bed to see if Luke was ok- and naked. He'd fallen on his boots and wearing sweats. "Oh my God. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Luckily, my boots and this high heel broke my fall." Luke reached underneath him and tossed the shoes aside. He pulled himself up and rubbed his back.

"What am I doing here? Did we...we didn't…"

"No!" Luke said immediately. "We didn't…no. You were drunk and I didn't want Mia to see you like that, so I brought you here. You don't remember…anything?"

"I remember my drink tasting funny and sitting on a bench next to you and looking at your eyes and…" Lorelai gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my God. I grabbed you! I groped you in the middle of that party!"

"You were drunk. You didn't know what you were doing."

"I'm so sorry Luke. I never would have come onto you if I was in the right frame of mind. Not that you're not an attractive guy because you are…but I don't think of you…like that."

"I understand."

"I'm sorry."

"I told you. It's ok." Luke grabbed a shirt from his drawer and put it on. "I don't think any less of you because of what happened last night."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"How did I end up in your room…wearing your shirt…in your bed…next to you?"

"Well, after the scene at the party, we got in my truck and left."

"You drove drunk?"

"I only hit a mail box and a couple of trash cans, but I think I was aiming for them."

"Why do you say that?"

"They were Taylor Doose's." Lorelai laughed. "Well, anyway, I brought you back here and you sorta threw up. Your clothes reeked and Liz was already in bed, so I changed you into one of my shirts and tossed your clothes into the washer. When I got back, you were asleep. I tucked you in and when I tried to leave, you grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go. So I laid down next to you. I was only gonna stay until you were sleeping, but I ended up felling asleep."

"You're one amazing guy Luke Danes. Any other guy would have taken advantage of me. They would have said, 'She's drunk so what the hell?' and they would have had sex with me. But not you. Why didn't you?" Her tone wasn't accusing, but serious. She wanted to know why he was the great guy he was.

Luke stared at Lorelai for a moment. "Honestly?" He sighed and sat on the bed next to her. "If you had asked me to have sex with you, I would have. Drunk or not, I would have slept with you _if you asked_. I was having a lousy night and I didn't care."

"What stopped you?"

Luke took a deep breath and left the room. When he returned, he was carrying Rory. "She did. After I put your clothes in the washer, I realized Rory was still with Mia so picked her up. I got back and saw you asleep. You looked so...peaceful. My brain kicked in and I knew I couldn't do anything to hurt our friendship. Then I thought of Rory. I wouldn't want some low life doing something like that to her so I couldn't do it with her mother. I have more respect for you than that. I shouldn't have even thought about it, but God help me, I did. And I'm sorry."

Lorelai smiled at Luke and kissed his cheek. "You really are an amazing guy. One in a million."

He smiled. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

* * *

_Present Day_

Though Patty left out the drunken Luke and Lorelai and the details of their "night together," everyone had heard one version or another. Rory heard the story from her mother the first time she and her best friend Lane Kim went to a barnyard party. Lorelai didn't mind much that her teenager daughter and her best friend were going to a party she had a past with, but Luke was a different story. When Rory mentioned the hay ride, Luke went nuts. He was screaming to the point where his face was all read and the veins in his neck popped out. He even said something about locking Rory in her room and standing guard on the porch so she couldn't leave the house, but Lorelai talked him out of it. Rory asked what his sudden burst of insanity was about, Lorelai told her the story of her first barnyard party.

Rory turned toward her mother and noticed she was biting her bottom lip and slightly crying as she stared at Luke's in the corner of her eye. "Mom?" she called.

"Yeah sweets?" Lorelai asked, facing her daughter.

"Are you ok?"

Realizing there was moisture in her eyes, Lorelai wiped away the tears. "Yeah. I'm just…" She paused to take a deep breath. "He was only like that around me."

"Huh?"

"Your dad- Luke. He was only like that around me. He wouldn't have done what he did for me that night for anyone else. He told me that once."

"Dad loves you. He'd do anything for you."

"Yeah. He'd do anything. It's like he's two different men. When he's around people, the town, he's this grumpy, mean guy that's only good for a few monosyllable grunts. He's a totally different guy behind closed doors. When it's just the family, he's sweet, caring, romantic, and an all around happy guy. He loves to play around and tell jokes and smile. He's Mr. Family-Guy. He's perfect. Just not when people are looking."

"I wish people knew him like we do. Then, maybe people wouldn't be so judgmental. Or scared."

"People aren't scared of Luke."

"Uh huh."

"Like who?"

"Dean."

"He was your first boyfriend, Luke was _supposed_ to threaten to kill him."

"Did he really have to describe it like something out of a Wes Craven movie?"

"It wasn't that bad."

"I had nightmares. For two years."

"Dean is one guy. It doesn't mean the whole town is afraid of Luke."

"Taylor, Jackson, Andrew, Lane, Lane's band especially Zach, Mr. Benson and his dog Skip, my elementary teachers, my junior high teachers, Peach Street, the Stars Hollow High PTA, the west wing of the West Hartford Mental Institution…"

"Ok, I get it. Luke can be grumpy, but the town knows that. He has his moods. They should know when to leave him alone."

"We're lucky to have you around to keep Luke in check."

"Yeah. Lucky."

"Mom, are you sure you're ok?"

"Rory, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"You're sure that's it?"

"I'm sure."

* * *

_1984_

Lorelai walked downstairs with Rory in her arms, still wearing Luke's shirt. She jumped a little when she saw Liz in the kitchen. Liz looked up at Lorelai and gave her a quick smile.

"Morning," Liz greeted casually.

"Uh, morning," Lorelai replied as she slowly made her way to the table. Why wasn't Liz surprised to see her there…in the morning…wearing Luke's shirt?

"Luke made coffee if you want some."

"Ok." Lorelai poured herself some coffee and sat at the table. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When I came down here, you didn't seem too surprised that I'm here…in your brother's clothes."

"It's not the first time he's had a girl over."

"Oh. So, a lot of girls spend the night with him?"

"No. Just Rachel and his other ex Nicole. He told me what happened last night when I saw him this morning and he said not to pry. I was expecting you and I'm not going to pry."

"So, he told you…"

"Enough. You're a really nice girl Lorelai. Better than a lot of other women my brother was involved with. If anything _were_ ever to happen between you two, I'd be overjoyed."

"That means a lot. Thank you." Lorelai took a sip of her coffee. "Oh my God."

"What's wrong?"

"This is _the_ greatest cup of coffee I've ever had! Sookie was right."

"What was Sookie right about?" Luke asked as he entered the kitchen pushing up the sleeves of his flannel shirt to his elbows.

"This coffee. It's awesome."

"You shouldn't drink so much coffee. It's bad for you."

"How can a guy that makes this heavenly experience in a cup hate it?"

"It's going to kill you."

"What a way to go. I should marry you just for this coffee."

"Of course, because what's love got to do with it? Your clothes are in the dryer. They should be done in about twenty minutes."

"Great. Thanks Luke…for everything."

"Don't worry about it." Luke walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bowl and some cereal.

"Hey Luke?"

"Yes?"

"I noticed you have a lot of Harvard things in your room."

"That's because Mr. Athletic over there is going to Harvard," Liz explained.

"Oh really?" Lorelai said with a smile.

"It's not because of my grades, because God knows I'm no genius," Luke joked.

"No. Just an animal. He was banned from the football team his freshman year," Liz remarked.

"Liz, shut up."

"You were banned from the football team?" Lorelai asked.

"Kicked off," Luke corrected. "I got a little too physical and they said I had anger issues. So, they kicked me off the team and sent me to anger management. I mean, come on. It's football! I was supposed to be rough."

"You almost put someone in a coma," Liz remarked.

"He shouldn't have been playing with a concussion."

"You almost took his head off in the previous play!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Well, Harvard won't have to worry about me hitting people. They're offering me a full scholarship for baseball. Come next school year, I could be outta this town."

"Oh. That's…that's great," Lorelai said in disappointment and lowered her head.

Luke looked up at Lorelai and noticed she seemed a little down. "But I might not take it. It's a good offer, but I could turn it down."

"You're kidding right? You have to take it. This is Harvard you're talking about. You'd have to have a real good reason not to."

Luke continued to stare at Lorelai. Maybe he did have a reason.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1984- Luke takes matters into his own hands when he finds out who was responsible for Lorelai's drunk behavior. Lorelai invites Luke to celebrate Thanksgiving with her and Rory. In the Present Day- Rory has a surprise for her parents._**


	8. Knights and Damsels

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 8**

The Monday after the incident at school, Lorelai was asked a million questions about what happened the night of the party between her and Luke by Sookie, Sarah, Carrie, and the two other girls she had made friends with- Gypsy and Lulu. Liz was part of the group, but she already knew the story. Luke, on the other hand, wasn't asked a single question. Kevin, Kirk, Jackson, and Andrew knew it wasn't wise to bring up the subject unless he initiated the conversation. They knew what kind of animal Luke was and they'd tried very hard to contain him. They weren't about to throw that hard work down the drain.

"I wanna know who it was," Luke stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Just let it go," Jackson pleaded. "Nothing happened between you two, so no harm done."

"No harm done? If I wasn't drunk as hell and sitting on that damn bench, Lorelai could have left with someone else and God knows what would have happened to her!"

"But you _were_ drunk and she left _with you_," Andrew remarked. "Quit worrying about _would _have happened and be glad nothing did."

"Luke, I know you're mad, but telling you who was behind this isn't going to help anyone," Kevin remarked. "You're my best friend and I don't want to see you do something you'll regret."

"Really? Well, I almost did something I would have regretted that night," Luke stated. "I may not have done anything with Lorelai, but it crossed my mind. It lingered there for a long time. After seeing Rachel with that guy, I just didn't care. I would have brought Lorelai home and done something with her if she wanted me to. I hate myself for wanting to and I am not going to put this to rest until I take care of business."

Kevin took a deep breath. "Just let it go. Please, let it go."

Luke cocked a brow at his friend. Then it hit him. "You know who it was, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter…"

"Why not?" Kevin looked away from his best friend's glare. "It was him wasn't it?"

"You need to let this go right now."

"It was Ivan. We all know he would have taken advantage of Lorelai if he had the chance!"

"_IF!_ _If _he had the chance! But he didn't. Even if he did, I would have stopped him."

"Like you stopped me from leaving with Lorelai?"

"I _would _have stopped him."

"How? How would you have stopped your stupid brother from taking Lorelai somewhere and…" Luke let out a growl. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened.

"I don't know. I don't know _how_ I would have stopped him, but I would have found a way. He was drunk and he would have slipped up. I would have found him and stopped him. Luke, I need you to let this go. For me, just let it go."

"He wasn't drunk," Kirk pipped in.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Ivan wasn't drunk."

"Kirk, what the hell are you talking about?" Kevin asked.

"I saw him when you chased after Luke. Ivan wasn't anywhere near drunk. He knew exactly what he was doing."

* * *

_Present Day_

"Oh great," Lorelai said suddenly.

"What?" Rory asked.

"I just remembered I need to wash your sheets."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't washed them in three weeks."

"Ew! You mean to tell me you haven't done the laundry since the last time I was in town?"

"No, I'm telling you I haven't washed your bed sheets since the last time you were in town."

"You told me last week you washed them."

"I'm a compulsive liar?"

"Mom."

"I'll wash them when I get home."

"Are the guestroom sheets washed?"

"I just said I was gonna wash your sheets when I got home. You don't believe me?"

"No, I do. It's just…well…"

"Well what?"

"I didn't exactly come alone."

* * *

_1984_

"You're lucky Luke came to your rescue," Sookie said. "If anyone else saw what kind of shape you were in, you would have been…they would have…thank God for Luke."

"You can say that again," Lorelai sighed.

"That's the kind of guy Luke is," Sarah remarked. "He's like a super hero, coming to the rescue whenever a beautiful damsel is in distress and you're his prime damsel."

"I am not."

"Are you kidding? I've never seen him run to someone's rescue faster than he does yours," Liz remarked. "If he even _thinks_ you're in trouble, he's at your side on the drop of a dime."

"Face it Lorelai, you're the Cinderella to his Prince Charming," Sookie joked. "The Bonnie to his Clyde. The Mary Jane to his Peter Parker. The Louise Lane to his Clark Kent…"

"Ok Sookie, I think we get the point," Gypsy said.

"I think it's sweet that he's always there," Lulu remarked shyly.

"Think what you want, but Luke does _not_ always come to my rescue," Lorelai said. "He's not some knight in shining armor that rides up on his white horse to slay the evil dragon and rescue me from the tallest room in the tallest tower. He's a friend that's there when I need him."

"Speaking of evil dragons, look who's coming," Sarah spat.

They all turned around to see Ivan heading their way. He had a sick grin across his face. "Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Lorelai Gilmore."

"Go away Ivan," Sookie spat instantly.

"The last time I saw you, you were all over Butch Danes. I bet he was all over you too. Rumor has it, you two had one hell of a night."

"That's a lie Ivan so why don't you just go," Liz suggested.

"Your precious brother tell you that? It ever occur to you that he lied to you? He could have gotten it on with Lorelai and told you otherwise. Hell, I bet he told Lorelai otherwise. Maybe, he didn't have to lie to Lorelai. Maybe he…didn't have to try. We all know he's got a thing for women…like Lorelai."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorelai asked angrily.

"I'm saying maybe he didn't have to try. Very hard at least. I mean, what would you expect from a chick with a kid at sixteen? It wouldn't be very hard to get you into bed would it? Did Luke have to beg? Or did he pay up front?"

"Ok, that's enough," Sarah said, stepping between Ivan and her friends. "You've gone too far."

"Why don't you stay outta this Sarah? You know, I don't get what my brother sees in you because when I look at you all I see is a bitch."

"And when I look at you, I see primordial slime. So go crawl back under your rock and rot."

"You really need to leave," Lorelai stated.

"Or what? Your boyfriend gonna make me? Butch Danes is nothin' but a pussy."

Just then, in the blink of an eye, Luke ran up behind Ivan and knocked him out with a powerful close line to the back of his head. All the girls screamed and jumped out of the way. Luke slowly headed back to where Ivan lay on the ground with a purpose. Ivan felt like he was hit by a train. Luke didn't even let him get back to his feet. He gave him a swift, hard kick to the gut with his large boot, flipping him onto his back. Luke stood over Ivan and grabbed him by the collar, lifting his upper body off the ground.

"You listen to me you sick son of a bitch," Luke growled. "If you go anywhere near Lorelai ever again, I will kill you. I swear to God, I will tear you limb from fucking limb!"

"Fuck you," Ivan spat.

That only pissed Luke off. Luke reared his right arm back and brought it back with a harsh blow. He continued to pound the living daylight out of the other man, not caring who was watching. Luke was vicious. He continually beat Ivan, even though he knew the other man couldn't fight back if he tried. Jackson, Andrew, Kirk, and Kevin all came running.

"Luke!" Jackson yelled as he tried to pry his friend off of Ivan. "That's enough! Stop already!"

"He's bleeding!" Andrew shouted as he tried to help Jackson in the effort. "For Christ's sake, you made him bleed already!" They were successful in pulling Luke off and holding him back.

"You're going to hell Ivan!" Luke yelled. "You're going to hell and I'm personally going to send you there!"

"That's enough Luke! You did the damage! That's it! It's over!" Jackson yelled.

"Cool it man!" Andrew screamed.

"Alright, alright already!" Kevin shouted. "That's enough Luke. Leave him alone already! He's still my brother!"

"Let me go already," Luke said.

"Not until you chill," Jackson said.

"I'm cool alright? I'm done. I won't hit him." Jackson and Andrew hesitantly let Luke go.

"You'd better get outta here Ivan before Luke gets his second wind back," Kevin warned. Ivan scurried to his feet and quickly limped away.

"And tell your buddies that if they try something like this, I'm coming after them too!" Luke called after his victim. He looked down at his fist and noticed the blood on his knuckles. Maybe he did get a little carried away.

"Every time," Sookie said to Lorelai. "It must feel nice to have your personal super hero."

Later that day after school, Luke was headed toward his truck with his head down. He hadn't spoken to anyone since his fight during lunch. He didn't know what came over him. He just kept hearing Kirk saying, "He wasn't drunk. He knew exactly what he was doing" playing over and over in his mind. Then he saw the gutless bastard near Lorelai. He just snapped. He dropped his backpack and ran toward Ivan Gleason with full force and hit him. He was so caught up in momentum, he couldn't stop himself from pummeling the guy. The worst part about it, he did it in front of Lorelai. She stood five feet away, watching in horror as he lost his mind and nearly killed a guy. _I should be put away,_ he thought to himself.

"Luke!" Lorelai called as she ran toward him. "Luke wait!"

He got out of the truck and shut the door, waiting for Lorelai to catch up with him. "If this is about earlier, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what came over me. I'd just found out about what Ivan tried to pull the other night at the party. I saw the guy and I lost it. I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

"Don't worry about it Luke. Actually, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For what you did."

"You wanna thank me for almost killing a guy?"

"I wanna thank you for sticking up for me. For protecting me."

"Oh. That. It was nothing."

"No, it was definitely something. Thank you Luke."

"You're welcome."

"Hey, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I'm having dinner with my family, but before that I'm free."

"Would you like to spend Thanksgiving with me and Rory?"

Luke smiled. "Yeah. I'd love to."

"Great. Thanksgiving, lunch time, my place. Be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

_Present Day_

"Hurry up and order already Kirk," Luke sighed.

"It all looks so good," Kirk said.

"You've been sitting there for fifteen minutes Kirk."

"Maybe I should get the…no. I had that on Tuesday."

"Order something or get out."

"Coffee and a doughnut."

"You mean to tell me you called me over here fifteen minutes ago, sat there staring at a menu, and you're only ordering coffee and a doughnut?"

"Yes."

Luke was about to strangle Kirk when the phone rang. He walked behind the counter and answered the phone. "Luke's."

"She's not alone," Lorelai said immediately.

"What? Who is this?"

"Your wife you idiot."

"Who didn't come alone?"

"Rory."

"But she's not supposed to be home for another week. We need to wash her sheets."

"I know and I know. Luke, you're missing the point here. Rory didn't come home alone."

"Well, we were expecting Paris anyway. She's always welcome in the…"

"It's not Paris."

"It's not? Then who'd she bring?"

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1984- Luke celebrates Thanksgiving with the Gilmore Girls. Richard is shocked to hear Lorelai is spending the holiday with a man. In the Present Day- Rory becomes suspicious of Luke and Lorelai's behavior at the diner._**

**A/N: Now who do _you_ think Rory brought? To be honest, I don't even know. Hahaha. I kinda forgot, but it'll come back to me. Eventually. Another thing, while you're reading this, remember that Patty's version and the version you're reading are two totally different versions. Patty is giving the clean-cut, PG version while you're getting the real deal. Now, I'm going to go over there and pray to God that Scott doesn't leave the show. Let's face it. No one could ever be Luke like Scott. While doing so, I'm gonna make myself tea because I spent half an hour yelling at my TV last nightfor ending the season the way it did and my vocals are killing me. He's gonna say yes! He _better_ say yes! Lol.**


	9. Wrong Number

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 9**

Lorelai groaned when she was awoken by the sound of banging on the door. She glanced at her clock. Nine thirty. Who in their right mind would come to her house and bang on the door at nine thirty on Thanksgiving? She put a pillow over her head in attempt to drown out the knocking, but it only got louder. "Go away!" Lorelai yelled.

"Open the door Lorelai," Luke yelled from the other side of the door.

"Luke? What are you doing here?"

"You invited me."

"I said lunch. I don't know what time lunch is where you come from, but around here it's twelve."

"I have to cook."

Lorelai jumped out of her bed and swung the door open. Luke stood on the other side with a box of food. "What do you mean by that?"

"I meant I have to cook."

"What if I already cooked?"

"It's nine thirty and you're still in bed. You didn't cook."

"I told you lunch was at twelve."

"Exactly. Lunch is at twelve, it's nine thirty, and you're still in bed."

"Are you applying I can't cook?"

"Can you?"

"God no."

"I thought so." Luke stepped inside and put the box down on the counter. "Preparing and cooking the turkey is gonna take a few hours, so I thought…"

"Hours? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Cleaning and stuffing the turkey is gonna take a while. It takes an hour for every ten pounds to actually cook it. Then there's the extra stuffing, the rolls, and…and you're not paying attention to me anymore are you?"

"You lost me at 'yeah'."

"Great. Well, you can go back to bed and I'll just get started over here."

"No."

"I don't know how they celebrate Thanksgiving where you're from, but around here we eat food."

"I'm not going to let you slave away in the kitchen while I sleep ten feet away. _You_ are _my_ guest. I'm going to help."

"You wanna help? Fine. You go get ready while I set up in here."

"Sounds good to me. Oh, before I forget, I have something for you." Lorelai ran to the refrigerator and pulled out some flowers. "Here."

"What are these for?"

"They're for you. Happy Thanksgiving."

Luke took the flowers from Lorelai and looked at them awkwardly. "What do I do with them?"

"Put them in a vase."

"I don't have a vase."

"I just gave you flowers. You need a vase."

"But I don't _need_ a vase because I never have flowers."

"Buy a vase."

"Stop bringing me flowers."

"You're impossible."

"Right back at ya."

* * *

Richard snuck away from the group in his living room to his den. He shut the door and sat behind the desk. He wasn't sure if Lorelai was going to come to Thanksgiving dinner or not. He hadn't heard from her since she asked him to send the transfer papers to Stars Hollow. Emily was positive she'd come, but Richard just wasn't as optimistic as his wife. Optimistic didn't seem to be the right word. No. Naïve better suited his wife. Richard unlocked the desk drawer and pulled out the number his daughter had given to him in case of an emergency. He took a deep breath before dialing the seven digits printed on the paper. 

Meanwhile, in Stars Hollow, Lorelai was busy giving Rory a bath while Luke put a few final touches on their lunch before the turkey was ready to eat when the phone began to ring.

"Luke, would you answer that?" Lorelai asked as she took Rory out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.

"Me?" Luke asked, pointing to himself.

"You're the only Luke here."

"But it's your phone."

"Just answer it."

Luke sighed and walked over to the phone. He wiped his hands and picked it up. "Hello."

Richard was surprised to hear a man's voice. Perhaps he called the wrong number. "I'm sorry. I think I may have dialed the wrong phone number," he said.

"Oh. That's ok. Happy Thanksgiving sir."

"You too." They both hung up.

"Who was that?" Lorelai asked.

"Wrong number," Luke replied. He was about to go back to the kitchen when the phone began to ring. "Hello?"

Richard was confused. He was positive he dialed the right number this time. Maybe Lorelai gave him the wrong number. "Is this Lorelai Gilmore's house?" he asked.

"Yeah. Hold on." Luke lowered the receiver. "Lorelai, it's for you."

"Here. Take Rory for a minute," Lorelai said. She handed Rory to Luke. "Hello?"

"Lorelai," Richard said.

"Oh, hi Dad. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Who was the man answering the phone?"

"That? Oh, that's Luke."

"Luke?"

"Yeah. Luke."

"I see." Richard leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. "I was just wondering what time you were coming over."

Lorelai sighed. "Daddy, I'm not coming home. I told you. It's too soon."

"Lorelai, I understand you want your freedom, but it's a holiday. We should all be together today. Just come for dinner. You can leave after dessert."

"And give Mom time to call the police to lock me in my room? I'm sorry Dad, but I'll pass. Besides, I already have plans." Lorelai looked over her shoulder at Luke who was making Rory laugh hysterically.

"Plans. With Luke."

"Yes. My plans for today happen to include Luke. He was thoughtfully enough to take time out of his schedule to cook and spend time with me and Rory."

"I see. Well, then I won't keep you any longer and let you get back to your…friend."

"Ok. I'll…I'll talk to you later." There was a silence on the phone. "Dad?"

"Yes Lorelai?"

"Happy Thanksgiving. I…I miss you."

"I miss you too." Richard smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving Lorelai. And wish Luke a happy Thanksgiving for me."

Lorelai put the phone down and let out a long sigh as she sat down on the bed. Luke put Rory in her swing and turn toward Lorelai. "Food's ready," he announced.

Lorelai stood up and walked over to the table. "Good, I'm starved," she said, half-joking.

Luke pulled out her chair for her before getting their food. He placed a plate in front of Lorelai and sat down with his. "Do you wanna give thanks?"

"Thanks?"

"Yeah. You know. A little prayer before we eat."

"You mean like saying grace?"

"Sorta. Don't you say grace at your house?"

"No. You do?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't know what to say."

"Just say what you're thankful for."

"Ok. I'm thankful for Rory, my job, this house despite its small size, Mia, and…you."

Luke quickly smiled, then looked down at his plate. "I'm thankful for my dad, Liz, Jess, work, not being a Native American who got their land stolen for crappy reservations, and you and Rory."

"Ok, do we eat?"

"Yes. Now, we eat." They both began to eat their food. After a few minutes of silence, Luke spoke up. "So, what was your dad asking about me?" he asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "How did you know he was asking about you?"

"You mentioned my name three or four times in your conversation."

"He was just asking who you were because you answered the phone. Then I told him I wasn't going home because I had plans with you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you run away?"

Lorelai looked down at her plate again. "I just wasn't happy there. They were gonna make me marry Rory's father, live like them, live _with_ them. I didn't want Rory to grow up in that house. My life was good, but it wasn't for me and it's not for Rory. So I packed up our things and left."

"But you still keep in touch with them?"

"Just my dad. I talked to him three times since I left to let him know we're still alive."

"Why not your mom?"

"She's the reason I left. You know, I've never heard you talk about your mom. What's she like?"

Luke froze before his gaze fell to his plate. "She was great. Very beautiful, sweet, loving, generous. She was a music teacher for ten years."

"Was? What does she do now?"

"Nothing. My mother died ten years ago of heart failure."

Lorelai nearly dropped her fork when Luke revealed that his mother had died. That's why he never talked about her. She felt like a jerk bringing it up and practically forcing him to talk about her. He must hate her right now. She felt she needed to apologize. "Luke, I'm s…"

"We better eat this food before it gets cold." He didn't want her apology. Every time someone found out about his mother, they apologized and he'd rest them for saying sorry when they didn't know what they were sorry about. He didn't want to resent her, so he stopped her.

"Yeah. Ok." They ate in silence. Lorelai looked up and watched Luke. Talking about his mom really brought him down. She reached out and put her hand on his free one. He looked up as she stared to rub his knuckles with her thumb. "Thank you," she said softly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

She slowly pulled her hand back . "I think you brought too much turkey."

"Don't worry about it. It's only a twelve pounder. It'll last you the week. You can make sandwiches with it."

"Yeah, _I _know how to make a turkey sandwich."

"I guess I'll just have to come over everyday and make you one," he joked.

"You might as well move in."

"Oh yeah. Don't worry, I'll sleep in the bathtub."

"Man, that's gonna be an interesting morning shower."

* * *

Luke was about to take a customer's order when Lorelai came rushing into the diner. She grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him to the back. "What are you doing?" 

"We have to talk," she stated.

"I'm working Lorelai. It's gonna have to wait." Luke walked past Lorelai and through the curtain.

"It can't wait!" Lorelai stated as she followed him behind the counter.

"Too bad."

"Luke, would you stop and listen to me for a minute?"

"I told you, I'm busy."

"Luke…" Lorelai trailed off when she saw Rory about to enter the diner. She turned to Luke who was looking through some receipts, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Luke looked at her awkwardly when they pulled apart. "What was that f…" Lorelai grabbed his chin and turned his head toward the door. "Rory!" he said, trying to cover his previous mood.

"Hi Daddy," Rory smiled as she walked behind the counter and gave him a hug.

"I thought you weren't coming home until next week."

"I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Well, you certainly gave me a surprise. I thought you'd be over at Patty's listening in on the story hour."

"I was, but there's a five minute intermission because the Benson kid got a nose bleed. I thought it would be a perfect time to visit my favorite dad."

"Well, I'm honored that you stopped by. How about a coffee cup to-go?"

"I love you."

Luke chuckled and pour Rory some coffee. "There you go sweetheart. I'll see you later."

"Ok. Bye Daddy." Rory kissed Luke on the check before heading to the door. "Come on Mom. Patty's about to start the story again."

"I'm right behind you," Lorelai smiled.

Rory watched her parents , waiting for them to hurry up and say goodbye. When Lorelai realized this, she turned to Luke. It may have been her imagination, but Rory thought she saw Luke and Lorelai force a smile and hesitate to kiss. No. That wasn't right. It had to be her imagination or her eyes. Luke and Lorelai Danes loved each other more than anyone else Rory knew. They spent twenty years together. Loving each other and raising a family together. Rory knew that. She knew it first hand. But she still couldn't help but wonder. What was going on?

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Luke is jealous when he sees Lorelai with other guys. When Lorelai confronts him about his behavior, Luke pushes her away. Liz talks to Lorelai about her brother. In the Present Day- Lane tells Rory about Luke's odd behavior as of late. There's a brief and awkward reunion at the diner._**

**A/N: I bet _you _can't help but wonder what's going on? Haha. I bet you're wondering who Rory brought. Is the suspense killing you? If it is, you might wanna see someone about that. JK. I haven't decided who she brought yet so I'll probably reveal it in a few chapters- when I figure it out. Lol. Oh, and for the record, yes. I AM a country music fan and its influence is oozing outta practically every chapter I write! If you haven't guess it already. Lol.**


	10. Jealous

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 10**

_Present Day_

Rory left the diner without her mother. Luke and Lorelai were starting to get all lovey-dovey and it made Rory nauseous. And there was still the strange feeling they were hiding something from her. But was it really possible to have any kind of secret in Stars Hollow? Patty knew the hottest news before it even happened. If something was going on between her parents, everyone would know. Rory convinced herself that it was all in her head. It wasn't a forced smile, but a tired one. They didn't hesitate to kiss, they savored the moment. Yeah. That was it. Tired and savoring.

Rory was half way to Patty's studio when she heard her best friend calling her. She stopped and turned around as she waited for the small Korean girl to catch up with her.

"You're home early!" Lane smiled as she hugged Rory.

"Yeah," Rory laughed. "I missed this town. Three weeks is way too long to be away from home."

"I wish I could say the same, but sadly, I can't. Rumor is you brought someone along with you."

"I swear, news travels faster than light around here."

"We need excitement in our lives. Quit stalling and spill."

"I can't. Too many people around. I haven't even told my mom who he is."

"So it _is_ a he. Is it…"

"No," Rory interrupted, knowing who Lane was thinking about.

"Are you two…"

"Not anymore. But it's ok. It's like Dad says: if life wants you to be with a person, nothing would stop you from being together."

"Smart man your father. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is there something going on between your parents? Did they have a fight or something?"

"No." The word lingered on Rory's lips. Whatever she convinced herself into believing earlier was thrown out the window. She wasn't the only one that noticed it.

"Oh, ok. It's just Luke's been kinda cranky lately."

Rory let out a sigh of relief. "Jesus Lane. You scared me. He's always cranky. You know that."

"Not as cranky as he's been for the past few weeks. Just the other day, he literally threw a guy out of the diner. Seriously, flat on his butt. And I think he burned something yesterday."

"No!"

"Yeah. I saw black smoke coming from the kitchen and I thought your mom was trying to make herself breakfast again, but then Luke walked out grumbling something about hating the world. _And_ I think he beat up the toaster. I'm not sure if there's a connection, but when I saw it at the beginning of my shift it looked perfectly fine, but after Luke had one of his temper tantrums there was a big dent in the side if it the size of a really angry diner owner's fist. He was really upset and Lorelai doesn't show up at the diner as much anymore."

Rory sat down on a nearby bench. "I don't believe it."

"Rory, are you sure Luke and Lorelai are ok?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

* * *

_1984_

Luke stepped out into the quad and looked around for Lorelai. She had gotten a ride to school from him this morning and she forgot one of her books. Being the gentleman he was, Luke decided to return it. He headed to where she usually hung out with Sookie, Sarah, Gypsy, and Lulu. As he got closer to their hang out area, he noticed some guys with the girls. They were talking to Lorelai. She was laughing at what one of the guys was saying. It was obvious they were flirting with her and it irritated Luke more than anything.

For the first time, he felt an unbearable pang of jealousy. He clenched his fists and his jaw tightened. Who were those guys? What were they trying to pull? It was obvious they were just trying to make a move on Lorelai, but she wasn't exactly fending them off. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the attention. And...was she flirting back? The anger rose in Luke. He could feel the heat rising in him. His blood was boiling and his temper was about to get the best of him.

What was he doing? What was he _thinking_? She obviously didn't think of him in any other way than as a friend. Besides, he was probably way out of her league any way. She probably dated guys that drove fancy, new cars and paid with credit cards all the time. He wasn't one of those guys. Hell, he was no where near that. He drove a truck that his father bought before he was even born. He was constantly working on the damn thing. He didn't have a credit card. He worked at his father's hardware store for Christ's sake.

Whatever feeling he did or didn't have for Lorelai were pointless. She wouldn't be interested in him in a million years. That realization pissed Luke off even more. He ruined something great with Rachel for a girl that he had no chance of getting.

Lorelai looked up and away from her adoring fan club and noticed Luke across the quad. She smiled and waved him over. She was surprised when he shook his head and walked in the other direction. What was that about?

Lorelai looked for Luke in the halls after school. She had to talk to him. She had to find out why he had ignored her in the halls and didn't show up for their customary lunch. When she couldn't find in the school building, she searched for him in the parking lot. Sure enough, he was heading to his car.

"Luke!" she called. He didn't stop. He didn't even look back. He just kept walking. What was with him? Lorelai jogged to catch up with Luke. "Luke. Luke. Hey, I'm talking to you. Luke. Come on. Turn around. I know you can hear me. I'm right behind…"

Luke stopped when he got to his car and quickly turned around to face her. He looked angry. "What?" he growled.

Lorelai was taken back by his angry tone. "I…I…"

"You what? Spit it out already."

"I saw you at break and when I waved you over, you totally gave me the cold shoulder."

"The world doesn't revolve around you Lorelai." Ok. Now he was down right being annoying.

"Hey. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

"So you're just naturally an asshole? The nice guy I've been hanging out with for the past month was a fake? You're being a jerk Lucas Danes! You ignored me in the halls. You bailed on me at lunch. Just now, you were totally blowing me off!"

"I was not blowing you off!"

"You said you were gonna give me a ride home this morning and it was obvious you were gonna leave without me. I think that constitutes as you blowing me off."

"I have to go to work," he snorted as he got into his truck.

"What about me?"

"Why don't you ask one of your boyfriends to take you home?" Lorelai staggered back, trying to understand what exactly Luke meant. And with that bitter note, Luke shook his head and pulled out of his parking spot, leaving Lorelai behind to wonder what the hell just happened.

* * *

_Present Day_

Luke put the check face down on Jackson's table. "Bring it up to the counter when you're ready," Luke stated emotionlessly before walking behind the counter.

Jackson looked at his bill and made sure everything was correct before going to the register to pay. "Your vegetable shipments are ready," he said, trying to make small talk.

Luke didn't look up at the other man. "Alright. Bring it after I close up tonight or before I open tomorrow. Doesn't matter to me."

"Ok."

"Here's your change."

"Thanks."

"Yeah." Jackson shoved his change into his wallet. He looked up at Luke and opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again when Luke looked up. "Something else?" Luke asked.

"No," Jackson sighed. "Hey Luke, are you ok? You and Lorelai…"

"I'm fine. Lorelai's fine. Everything's fine." Luke obviously didn't want to talk. Not to him at least.

"Ok. Well, if you need to talk, about anything…"

"I really need to get back to work."

"Alright. I'll, uh, call. About the vegetables."

"Whatever."

Jackson nodded and turned to leave just as he was about to walk out the door Andrew walked in. They stared at each other for a moment. "It's been a long time since…" Jackson paused to take a deep breath.

"Yeah. It's been…a while," Andrew stuttered. "Maybe we should keep it that way."

"Yeah. We should."

Jackson left and Andrew found a seat at the counter. Luke stared at the man that used to be one of his closest friends. Andrew looked up at Luke, but quickly looked back down at his menu. How could three friends go from being the best of friends to being complete strangers?

* * *

_1984_

Lorelai sat on the porch steps in front of the Danes house. She had no clue what had gotten into Luke earlier and she was determined to find out. She asked Sookie to watch Rory while she dealt with Luke. She'd let him cool off at work and then when he got home, she'd be there waiting for him. So she sat on the porch steps and waited for Luke to get home despite the bitter cold winter air. She clutched her jacket and sipped her coffee.

"Lorelai?" Liz called as she headed up the path, pushing a stroller and carrying a grocery bag.

Lorelai looked up. "Oh, hey Liz," Lorelai greeted casually.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Waiting for your brother."

"He's at work."

"I know. We sorta got into a fight today."

"Oh no. Really? What were you fighting about?"

"That's just it. I don't know."

"Why don't you come inside and we can talk about it." Lorelai followed Liz into the house. After putting Jess in his swing and bringing the grocery bag to the kitchen, Liz joined Lorelai in the livingroom with coffee. "So, you're fighting with my brother for unknown reasons?"

"Yeah. I saw him at break, waved him over, and he ignored me. I know he saw me. He was staring right at me. Whenever I saw him in the halls, he rushed past me. He ditched me at lunch. I saw him after school, but when I asked him what his problem was, he just barked at me."

"And you don't know why he's mad?"

"No. But before he left, he said something about asking my boyfriend for a ride home. I don't even have a boyfriend."

"Weren't Greg Stenson and his buddies talking to you earlier?"

"Yeah. I was talking to them when I saw Luke."

"Of course. I should have guessed."

"You should have guessed what?"

"Luke was jealous."

"Of what?"

"The guys you were talking to. He was jealous you were paying attention to them and not him."

"Why would he be jealous?" Liz gave her a knowing look. "You don't mean…no. No. We're…no."

"Lorelai, my brother cares about you…a lot. Since he's met you, he's actually been…pleasant. He's smiling, laughing…he's happy. I guess when he saw you, he got jealous that you could make another guy smile, laugh, and happy like you made him."

"No. Luke's happiness doesn't have anything to do with me."

"Honey, it's got _everything_ to do with you. He might not admit it, you may not admit it, but we all know it. He has a thing for you. He's never cared about anyone like he cares about you."

"What about Rachel?"

"Even more than her. He talks about you all the time. He tells my dad how great you are and how beautiful your daughter is. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's falling in love with you."

"We're just friends Liz."

"Yeah. You keep telling yourself that."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Lorelai is worried about Luke when he isn't at school, so she goes to his house to see him. When she finds out he's sick, she stays to take care of him. In the Present Day- Sookie questions Lorelai about her marriage. Kirk asks Luke to make things go back to the way they were._**


	11. Sick and tired

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 11**

_1984_

Lorelai walked to school the next day. Usually she depended on Luke to pick her up, but after their fight she decided to walk. She left his house after talking to Liz and before Luke got home. She needed to process the insane idea of Luke having a "thing" for her. It was a completely ridiculous idea. Luke couldn't have a thing for her. No. He couldn't. He was…a friend. A very caring friend. He had absolutely no romantic feelings for her what-so-ever and she didn't have any for him…right?

Lorelai desperately wanted to end their fight. Luke was her first and best friend in Stars Hollow. Maybe even anywhere. He reached out to her when others watched her behind a glass window. It'd only been one day and she was already falling apart. One part of her wanted to yell at him, beat him with a stick or something for being a pig headed jerk. But then there was the part of her that wanted to see his smile. It wanted him to be there to pick her up for school and drive her home. It wanted him to come over after his shift and make her a turkey sandwich so she wouldn't starve. It wanted him to pay attention to her. _She_ wanted him to pay attention to her.

When she got to school, she didn't see his truck in the parking lot. She figured he was running late. He was no where to be seen in the halls during the passing periods. Feeling a little angry Luke would go out of his way to ignore her, Lorelai stormed the halls in search of him during break, but came up empty handed. She walked out to the parking lot and Luke's usual parking lot was still empty. Something wasn't right. He couldn't have left campus. There was only three minutes left in break and Luke was _never _late for class. She began to worry. Where could he be?

"Sookie!" Lorelai called as she chased after her friend. "Sookie, wait up!"

Sookie stopped and waited for Lorelai to catch up. "Lorelai! Where have you been?" she asked.

Lorelai looked around frantically in hopes Luke would just suddenly appear. "Sook, you haven't seen Luke today have you?"

"I don't think so. Come to think of it. He wasn't even in home ec today. That's weird. He never misses class."

Lorelai spotted Liz across the hall. "Sook, I gotta go. I'll see you later." Lorelai quickly headed toward Liz. "Liz!"

"Oh hey Lorelai," Liz greeted. "What's up?"

"Where's your brother?"

"I don't know. He should be here."

"He didn't leave with you?"

"No. He was taking too long to get ready this morning so he sent me off, but I'm sure he's here. He said he would be."

"Oh no. Liz, can I borrow your house keys?"

"Uh sure." Liz pulled her keys out of her pocket and handed them to Lorelai. "Lorelai, is everything ok?"

"I don't know. I'll explain later. I just really need to find your brother right now."

"Ok. Be careful."

"I will. Thanks Liz!"

With that, Lorelai ran off campus. She was really worried about Luke. What could have happened? Maybe his car stalled and he needed to take it to the auto shop. What if he got in a car accident? What if he was lying unconscious in a ditch (then again, where would that ditch be in Stars Hollow? There weren't even pot holes)? What if he was mugged or car jacked? What if he was bleeding to death? She ran faster as the scenarios ran through her mind. She stopped at the hardware store first. Luke had mentioned skipping school once and a while to work. She walked into William's Hardware Store and went straight to the register.

"Why hello Ms. Gilmore," Derek, one of the employees, greeted. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Uh yeah. It's break. By any chance, is Luke here today?" Lorelai asked.

"No."

"What about Mr. Danes?" Lorelai had never met William Danes, but she _had_ to know where Luke was. "Is he here?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Gilmore, William stepped out a few minutes ago. He won't be back for two hours."

Two hours? What could he be doing that took two hours? "Ok. Thanks Derek." She walked out of the store and headed for the Danes residence, keeping an open eye for ambulances.

* * *

_Present Day_

"Coffee!" Lorelai shouted as she walked into the kitchen of the Dragonfly Inn.

"Morning to you too," Sookie laughed as she continued to chop vegetables.

"Good morning Sookie. Where's the coffee?"

"How could you come in here and beg for coffee when your husband makes a living off of serving the undeniably greatest coffee in the state of Connecticut- according to you that is?"

"Sookie…"

"You were even the one that got him to open the diner."

"No I wasn't. It was his dream."

"To own a diner?"

"Yeah. Ok, well…maybe he wanted to play professional baseball, but he wanted to open a diner. But that's not the point. Can I just have some co…"

Lorelai sighed when Sookie interrupted her again. "_You_ got him to open the diner. I remember the whole conversation. He said he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life anymore and then you said, 'Why don't you open a restaurant? Or a diner so you can serve your coffee. It's the greatest coffee in the state of Con…"

"Sookie! Coffee! Please!"

Sookie was shocked by her friend's outburst. Lorelai sounded more then impatient. She actually sounded angry. But over coffee? It had to be something else. She poured Lorelai some coffee and handed it to her.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai sighed as she took a sip of the coffee. "I just haven't had any today."

"You didn't go to Luke's this morning?"

"No, I did."

"But you didn't get coffee."

"No. I went to tell him Rory's home."

"I thought she wasn't going to be home until next weekend."

"So did we, but she decided to surprise us. That's not the best part. She didn't come alone."

"She didn't? Who?"

"I don't know. She wants _that_ to be a surprise too. I'm telling you, it's a man."

"How did Luke take it?"

"Luke's Luke. He asked a million questions even though he knew I didn't have the answers."

Lorelai sounded irritated when she talked about her husband and it didn't go unnoticed. Sookie began to worry. Usually, Lorelai would be at work around eight thirty after going to Luke's for coffee and spending time with her husband. But lately, she came in at seven thirty, begging coffee. At first Sookie didn't think much of it, but then it became routine and she worried.

"Hey Lor, can I ask you something?" Sookie asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Lorelai replied.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's just…Jackson said…"

"Sookie, what is it?"

"Jackson said Luke's been acting weird lately. That he's been grumpy, mean, and beats up his appliances when they don't work. He says Luke's feeling a little down and I noticed you've been a little…agitated lately. I was wondering…" Sookie paused and took a deep breath. "Is everything ok with you and Luke?"

Lorelai froze. She stared at Sookie for a while before she realized she was holding her breath. "Everything's fine," she said as coolly as she could.

"Ok, see. You hesitated. You're lying to me!"

"I am not."

"You lied again!"

"Sookie, Luke and I are fine."

"But Jackson said…"

"Jackson doesn't know what he's talking about," Lorelai snapped. "He's not even friends with Luke anymore. They barely glance at each other when they pass on the street, let alone talk. I am telling you right now Sookie, there's nothing going on. So just…back off."

Everyone in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and looked toward Lorelai and Sookie. Sookie stared at Lorelai in silence. She was on the verge of tears. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Lorelai hung her head as Sookie rushed out of the kitchen. She didn't mean to get so angry. The built up tension in her got to her. She couldn't wait for all of this to be over.

* * *

"You've been sitting there for an hour Kirk," Luke said as he walked up to Kirk's table. There was still a half eaten bagel on his plate and his coffee was nearly gone. 

"Everything's going wrong," Kirk said, ignoring Luke. "Why is everything going wrong?"

Luke sighed. He knew he was getting sucked into a conversation he wouldn't want to be in. "What's wrong Kirk?"

"Everything."

"I got that part."

"You guys were best friends."

Shocked by Kirk's statement, Luke took a step back. "What?"

"You guys were like brothers and now you act like you don't know each other."

"Kirk, that's not true."

"Yes it is. Just now. Jackson was trying to talk to you and you blew him off. Andrew tried to talk to Jackson and he walked away. And you scare Andrew."

"I do not scare Andrew."

"He ran out of here when you came to his table."

"The Bailey boys were trying to steal his car."

"What happened Luke?"

"Life happened."

"It wasn't supposed to tear you apart. Just because Kevin…" Kirk stopped himself and Luke remained silent. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? Luke, can you make them go back to the way they were?"

Luke bit his bottom lip. "If I could, I would. But there are some things you can't change. There are some things that will _never_ be the way they were."

* * *

_1984_

Lorelai rushed up the porch steps to get to the front door. She pulled Liz's keys from her pocket and unlocked the front door, rushing inside. "Luke!" she called frantically. "Luke! Are you here? Luke!" She heard coughing, but she was too worried that something was wrong to focus on where it was coming from.

"Lorelai?" Luke asked as he appeared in the doorway in his flannel pajamas. He coughed again as he took a few steps forward. His coughs sounded like they hurt. "What are you doing here?"

"Luke! Thank God!" She ran over to him. "I've been looking all over for you!" The second she hugged him, she jumped back. "Luke! You're hot!"

"You think so?" he joked- then coughed.

"No, really. You're burning up! I think you have a fever."

"I'm fine. Really. It's just a cough."

"No it's not. You're _really, really_ sick. Come on. You need to lay down."

"But…"

"We'll go to the couch. It's closer." She led him to the couch. After some protest, she finally got him to lie down. She pulled a blanket over his and sat in the chair next to the couch.

"You don't have to do this."

"I know. I want to."

"I thought we're fighting."

Lorelai looked away. "How about some soup? My dad used to make me this weird dish when I was sick. I think I can whip some up for you."

"I thought you're trying to make me better, not kill me."

"Right," she laughed. They were silent.

"Why'd you come?" Luke asked suddenly.

"I was worried about you."

"Because I wasn't at school?"

"It's not like you to not be at school. Everyone said you'd be there and you weren't. I went to the hardware store, the lake…you weren't anywhere. I was scared something happened to you."

"Why?"

"Because I care."

"Why?"

"Because…" She thought about what to say. "Because I do."

He accepted that as an answer…for now. "I'm sorry for ignoring you yesterday."

"That doesn't matter anymore."

"It does. I was a jerk and I didn't have any right to be."

"Luke," she said, putting her hand over his. "It's ok." They were quiet again. "You look tired. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"I'm not tired," Luke yawned.

"Yeah, I can tell," Lorelai laughed.

"You'll get bored."

"I'll watch TV or read a book. Luke, it's ok. Sleep. You need to."

"Ok, but just for a little while." His eyes were already closed as he spoke. He turned to his side so he was facing her. "Hey Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being here. I feel better already."

"You're welcome." She smiled and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. She stroked his hair a few times until he was fast asleep, lightly snoring. She leaned down and placed a light kiss on his forehead. He smiled. He was going to have nothing but sweet dreams tonight.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1984- After being taken care of Lorelai (and a few dirty thoughts), Luke musters up the courage to ask her out._**


	12. Bed sheets, burglars, and Butch

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 12**

Luke crushed his lips against Lorelai's as they backed into the room. They ran into furniture and knocked things over as they headed for the bed. The only time they broke their kiss was so Lorelai could pull Luke's shirt over his head. Luke unbuttoned Lorelai's shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. Their pants and under garments were discarded before she pulled him down onto the mattress with her. He pushed himself up on his arms to admire her body beneath him. She smiled up at him.

"Like what you see?" she teased.

"Yeah," he managed to get out.

"Then come get it."

She pulled him down for another kiss. His hand skimmed the side of her body. His hand moved under hers, lifting her body for easier access. She moaned into his mouth as he entered her…

Luke bolted up in his bed. His breathing was uneven and beads of sweat ran down his face. He couldn't believe he had _another_ dream about Lorelai. _It's because she was just here…taking care of me,_ he mentally told himself. But there were nights before when she wasn't there when she occupied his dreams. He buried his face in his hands and fell back into his pillows. His body stiffened when he felt something under him. He removed one hand from his face and slowly put it beside him and felt moistness.

"I can't friggin believe this. Not again," he groaned. He jumped out of bed and yanked the sheets off his bed. "Twelve year olds have wet dreams. Not guys my age."

He made sure no one was up before running downstairs to the laundry room to toss his sheets into the washer and then running back upstairs to his room. After putting new bedding on and changing his clothes, he climbed into bed and let out a sigh. He scolded himself for dreaming of doing such things with Lorelai- again. He shut his eyes and her face flooded his mind and no matter how much he tried, he started to get excited. He could feel himself getting hard again.

"Think of something else Luke," he told himself. "Think of something unappealing. Puppies, baseball, track, work, school, kids, jam hands…stupid jam hands."

For a minute there, Luke thought that did the trick. But jam hands made him think of baby Rory which made him think of Lorelai which caused another erection. He took a few deep breaths to try to control himself. He would not touch himself. He would not defile and degrade Lorelai with dirty thoughts and inappropriate actions. He eventually went back to sleep. It was an agonizing, painful sleep- especially between his legs.

* * *

Luke snapped out of his trance when a piece of crumpled up paper hit him in the face. He frowned at Kevin. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact he had thrown the paper ball. "Why are you throwing paper at me?" Luke asked angrily. 

"Because I tried calling your name twenty times and it didn't work," Kevin replied in the same tone. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I _have_ been sick for a week."

"Usually normal sick people do is sleep."

"Normal's overrated."

"This wouldn't have to do with a certain girl that took care of you while you were sick does it?"

Luke looked down at his hands and let out a long sigh. "I dreamt about her again."

"When did you dream about her the first time?" Jackson asked.

"The other day."

"The other day when you were at home with a fever and couldn't see anyone but Lorelai and your throat swelled up so you couldn't talk on the phone? That other day?" Kevin asked.

"Fine. I kinda, sorta have a thing for Lorelai," Luke admitted.

"Kinda?" Jackson asked.

"Sorta?" Andrew asked.

Luke glared at his friends, warning them not to mock him. He turned his head and spotted Lorelai at the lunch tables with her friends. There was something about her that kept drawing him to her. It had something to do with the way she made him smile and laugh. He never smiled or laughed. She made him feel…free. She dared him to do things he never would have thought doing, like swim in the rain or make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for two.

No woman had ever made him _feel_ the way she did either. He didn't have to change his sheets every night before he met Lorelai. He had a lot less laundry and took warmer showers too. And his pants seemed to be shrinking.

"Ok, you're blanking out again," Kevin said as he waved his hand in front of Luke's face.

"I'll be back," Luke said, pushing Kevin's hand away from his face and heading across the quad.

"Where's he going?" Andrew asked.

"Hey, look, it's Lorelai," Kirk said, pointing in the direction Luke was headed.

"Do you think he's gonna…" Jackson asked as they all stood and watched Luke.

"You mean…" Andrew chimed in.

"This is Luke we're talking about," Kevin remarked. "He wouldn't. Would he?"

"If you asked me that a month ago, I'd say no," Jackson said. "But now, who knows."

"Does he even know how to ask a girl out?" Andrew asked.

* * *

_Earlier that day at the Danes Household_

"Have a good night sleep son?" William asked from behind his paper.

"Uh, yeah," Luke replied. He opened the fridge and started to rummage through it.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Slept fine."

William folded his newspaper and leaned against the counter next to the fridge and crossed his arms over the chest. "I had a hard time sleeping last night. I kept hearing things."

"Might wanna have that checked out Dad."

"First it was Jess. Man that kid has a pair of lungs. You and Liz never cried that loud."

"Must come from the Mariano blood line."

"Then there was this sound like someone running down the hall." Luke froze. "Two minutes later, there's this thumping sound and something that sounded like running water. It was followed by the footsteps in the hall. At first I thought it was a burglar stealing our crap and trying to drown us by stuffing the drains and running all the faucets. But when went to check it out, there wasn't anyone here."

"So it was just your imagination."

"Oh no. Do you know what it was?"

"What?" Luke asked as he pulled out the orange juice, grabbed a cup, and sat at the table.

"The washer. I hope you don't expect me believe that someone broke into our house in the middle of the night to wash your bed sheets."

"Crazy bastards."

"This is the third time this week son. Either you're having bladder problems or…"

"Hey. Let's go back to the burglar idea."

"Who is she?"

"The burglar's a woman?"

"Luke."

"Dad."

"It is Lorelai? Are you having sexual fantasies about her?"

"Ah jeez!" Luke groaned. He got out of his seat and walked to the other side of the kitchen and covered his ears. "I don't wanna talk to you about this!"

"Why not? I'm your father. Maybe we should, uh, talk about…this."

"We had the sex talk Dad. I was eleven and I had nightmares for two weeks."

"Nightmares?" William laughed. "They were wet dreams son! Just like what you had last night. Come on. You can say it. We're all men here."

"It feels wrong to talk to you about…you know."

"I was a teenager once, believe it or not."

"I'd rather not."

"Just tell me, was Lorelai the leading lady in your 'nightmare'?" Luke let out a long sigh and nodded. "Well are you gonna ask her out?"

"Why? So I can tell her I've been having dream sex with her? Yeah Dad. Real classy."

"You obviously like her. Unless you're not the son I raised and just want to have se…"

"Dad! I'd never do _that._"

"Then what's the problem?"

Luke tried to figure out a reason why he couldn't date Lorelai. The only one that came up in mind was that he was afraid of rejection, but he couldn't tell his father that.

"I gotta get to school," Luke said as he grabbed his backpack and keys.

"Alright then. And son, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Go for it. She sounds like a great girl and you deserve a great girl."

"Thanks Dad." With that, Luke left for school.

* * *

(_Note: For this part which is in the 1984 present- if that made any sense, God bless you, Luke's thoughts or the voices in his head, whichever you prefer, are in italics…like this. Lol.)_

Luke took a deep breath with each step he took. What the hell was he doing? He never asked a girl out before. They asked him! He was too scared of rejection and looking like an idiot to ask a girl out. And yet, his feet were taking him to the woman that made him do things he never did. Like this. He'd never do this. The familiar feelings of insecurity and fear returned._ Turn around. Turn around you idiot before she sees you and it's too late! _he yelled at himself in his mind.

It was too late. Lorelai had looked up and saw him. She smiled and was waving him over now. Damn late reactions.

"Luke," Lorelai smiled. "You're back to school. How are you feeling?"

"B…better," he stuttered. _No. No. No! Don't forget to talk now!_

"Are you ok?"

Luke nodded his head wordlessly. "I just, um, wanted to, uh, thank you. For taking care of me and everything. So. Thanks."

"You're welcome." _Do it. Do it and get it over with. _Lorelai noticed Luke was still standing there. "Is there something else you wanted to say?"

_Jesus Christ. This is why people think you're weird. Dear God. Her top button in undone. I can see down her…stop it! Don't stare! It's not polite to stare! Do something! Not that! Don't do that! I said not to look down there! Say something you idiot!_

"Actually, yeah. There was something I wanted to, um, ask you." Luke started to rub the back of his neck. Sookie, Sarah, Lulu, and Gypsy stopped what they were doing and stared at Luke. _Why are they staring? Don't lose your nerve now Butch! Ask her already! Come on you Nancy! _"Do you, um…I don't know, uh, wanna, uh…uh…"

"Hey Luke, why are you sweating so much?" Gypsy asked suddenly.

_I'm sweating? Shit. I'm sweating. Don't be nervous! They can sense it! Or is that animals? Off track Danes…_ "Lorelai, do you wanna go out…with me sometime?"

Sookie, Sarah, Lulu, and Gypsy's mouths dropped open. Did Luke Danes just ask a girl out?

"Um, sure," Lorelai replied as her lips formed a big smile.

_Did she say yes? _"Really?"

"Yeah. I'd love to go out with you."

Luke smiled brightly. "Uh, ok. We'll go out. Uh, Friday?"

"Friday's perfect."

"Good. Friday's good. I'll see you Friday," Luke said nervously as he started to walk backwards back toward his friends. "I'll see you before then, but definitely Friday. I'll see you both thens. Ok, I'm gonna go over th…" Just as he turned around, Kirk walked up behind him and Luke accidentally knocked him to the ground. "Ah jeez! Kirk! Kirk, are you ok?"

"Ow," Kirk groaned.

Luke tried to help Kirk to his feet. "I…I didn't see you there. Are you ok?"

"I think I broke my butt."

"You didn't break your butt Kirk."

"How do you know? You're not a doctor. Did you knock me over because you were nervous about asking Lorelai out?"

"I knocked you over because you were standing right behind…wait. How did you know I…were you spying on me?"

"Kevin sent me over here." Luke looked across the quad. Kevin, Jackson, and Andrew were giving Luke thumbs up and made whistling noises.

"Ah jeez." Luke faced Lorelai again. "I'm sorry. Those guys are…crazy. They are _no_ reflection upon me."

"Ok," Lorelai laughed.

"Kiss her hard!" Kevin joked.

Luke hung his head. "I really need to make new friends. I'll see you Friday."

"Yeah, Friday."

"Come on butt boy. Time to report to the perv."

Luke pulled Kirk up to his feet and they started toward their friends. He fell a few steps behind when it hit him. He asked Lorelai out. And she said yes. The rest of the day there was a permanent smile on his face and an extra bounce in his step.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": Luke and Lorelai recall their first date._**

**A/N: Ok, I settled the dispute. I know who Rory brought! Hahaha. Had to flip a friggin coin. Pro-con lists work great my arse. I _might_ reveal it in the next chapter. _MIGHT_. So no bitting my head off if I don't! But when you do find out, you'll be shocked, amazed, dumbfounded…or you might just be like "Ok, whatever."**


	13. Roses are red, pink, and white?

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 13 (Luck 13 baby!) - Roses are red, pink, and white**

_Stupid town,_ Luke thought as he walked down the street with a delivery in hand. Everyone that passed him congratulated him on his twentieth anniversary. People he didn't like and/or didn't know were wishing him well. Luke became more aggravated with each congratulatory greeting. Why couldn't they mind their own damn business? Why did they have to make this such a big deal? Why couldn't they just leave them alone? _Because it wouldn't be Stars Hollow if they did._

He was passing Patty's studio when he heard her begin her version of his first date with Lorelai. No matter how many times someone repeated this story, it never did it any justice. That night was magical. It was the night Luke realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lorelai. He stood in front of the studio as he let the memories of that night flood his mind once again.

* * *

_1984_

Luke was never very good at dating. He lucked out with Rachel. _She_ had asked _him_ out. She made all the advances and basically told him what to do in the relationship. His overbearing sense of manly pride went and screwed that relationship up. When they broke up, he dated on instinct. He did what he thought he should have without second guessing his decisions. He figured that was why his "relationships" between Rachel and Nicole only lasted two, three dates tops. By the time he was with Nicole, he figured he knew a thing or two about dating and being in a relationship. Apparently, he didn't know enough because she cheated on him for his "lack of commitment." His inexperience and failed relationships kept him going back to Rachel, letting her back in his life even if for a short time. With Rachel, it was all about knowing what she was going to do next and though he hated to admit it, it was about the sex. But they were over for good this time. She had moved on and not it was his turn to do the same.

Luke stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't believe he was looking at his own reflection. He had never wanted to look good for a date more than tonight. Usually he'd just put on a clean shirt and leave his baseball cap at home. He wouldn't even bother to shave. But tonight was different. Tonight his flannel and jeans remained hanging in his closet. He wore his nicest pair of black slacks and the new navy blue dress shirt he had bought. The fact that he went out and bought clothes was a wonder all on its own. His shaggy brown hair had been trimmed and his two day stubble was gone. It would be back in the morning, but tonight it needed to go. After taking a deep breath, he headed back to his room to grab his jacket before going downstairs.

Liz looked up when she heard her brother coming downstairs and whistled mockingly when she saw him. Luke looked up and shook his head as he put his jacket on. "Aren't we looking particularly nice tonight," Liz teased.

"I have a date. I'm supposed to look nice," Luke shot back.

"Usually you just put a clean shirt on. That looks new and it's not flannel."

"I want to look nice."

"For Lorelai."

"She _is_ my date. You're reading too much into this Lizzy."

"Did you shine your shoes?"

Luke looked down at his shoes, then back at his sister. "I just want her to like me."

"And you think shining your shoes is going to make her fall madly in love with you?" Liz put Jess in his playpen and walked over to Luke, putting her hands on his shoulders. "She already likes you Luke. You don't have to get all dressed up."

"She likes me? Did she tell you that? Did she say…"

"She likes you. I mean, how could she not?"

"I want tonight to be special. I thought I should dress the part."

"She couldn't care less about what you're wearing. She likes you for who you are."

"Thanks. I better get going before she decides she doesn't want to go out with me." He went to the kitchen and when he returned he had a bouquet of roses. He paused to see Liz's reaction.

Liz just smiled and shook her head. "Have a good time big bro."

"I will. Don't stay up too late."

"In other words, don't wait up."

"Something like that. Night Lizzy." Luke turned around and came face to face with his father. William looked his son over and raised a brow. "I'm leaving now." Luke started toward the door.

"One last question before you leave," William said. Luke turned around. "In your 'nightmares,' did she 'scare' you?"

Luke couldn't help but smile. "Like hell."

William laughed as Liz looked between her father and brother like they were insane. "That's my boy. Don't get too 'scared' tonight and don't go chasing the boogy man."

"Not on a first date. Night Dad." When Luke opened the front door, he found Carrie on the doorstep and his smile faded. _And I was feeling good about tonight,_ he mentally groaned.

"Aw Butch, those for me?" Carrie flirted.

"Liz, your friend's here!" Luke announced. He forced a quick smile before rushing past Carrie.

"Hey Carrie," Liz greeted as Carrie stepped into the house.

"Where's he headed looking so fine?" Carrie asked. William rolled his eyes as he sat on the couch and read his newspaper. This girl had to be crazy to think Luke remotely liked her.

"Oh, he has a date with Lorelai Gilmore."

"What!" Although the screech nearly deafened him, William enjoyed hearing Carrie's reaction to hearing about his son and Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai was scoring _major_ points with him tonight.

* * *

Luke nervously waited for Lorelai to open the door. He was so excited he rushed himself and ended up being five minutes early to pick her up. The door finally opened and Lorelai raised a brow when she saw Luke. 

"Hi," he greeted nervously.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled with a hint of laughter in her voice. "I thought we said seven."

"Yeah. We…we did. I was just…I was ready, so I came and now I'm here. I'm sorry. Did you need more time? I can go back to my truck and…"

Lorelai put her hand on his arm, stopping his babbling. "I'm ready now."

"Ok. Let's go." He offered her his arm and she graciously took it. They started toward his truck. "You look very beautiful tonight."

Lorelai began to blush at his comment. It was a simple comment, but it made her feel all tingly when he said it. "Thank you. You look great. I've never seen you all dressed up before. That shirt looks great on you."

"I'm glad you think so." He let go of her arm when they arrived at his truck. He opened the door to grab the flowers and handed them to Lorelai. "These are, uh, for you."

"Aw Luke, they're beautiful. Thank you." She noticed there were only eleven in the bunch, but didn't say anything. Luke helped her into the car before getting in himself.

"The twelfth is waiting," he said as he drove. "The flowers. There's twelve."

"Ok," she laughed.

"I hope you have a vase for those."

A few minutes later, they arrived at a place called "Sniffy's Tavern." They were immediately seated at a table with a reserved sign and a single rose- like the ones Luke had given Lorelai earlier- on it. Luke picked up the rose and held it out to Lorelai.

"Here's your dozen," he grinned.

"Thank you," she smiled. She smelled the flower as Luke pulled a chair out for her. She waited for him to sit before continuing the conversation. "I've never seen this kind of rose before." The rose was three different colors. At the top it was a deep, crimson red. As it went down, the color turned to pink and finally ended in white at the bottom.

"It's called a fire and ice rose," Luke explained. He gently took the flower from Lorelai and pointed to it as he explained it to her. "Your typical rose is one of the three colors: red, pink, or white. When a guy gives you roses, it's kinda like a subliminal message. Each color stands for something. White means friendship because all relationships should begin in friendship. Pink is for when your friendship turns into more than 'just friends.' And finally, red represents love. This rose, being all three colors, is all three stages. From white to red, friendship to love."

"Are you trying to tell me something Luke Danes?"

"I'm telling you what the rose means. It has a different meaning for different people. Chances are what I think of it as isn't what you think of it as. When you look at it, it could mean exactly what I told you or you could just be looking at another pretty flower."

"Or it can be an elaborate plan to soften me up so you can get me into bed," she joked.

"Or to get you to like me."

"I don't need a flower to like me." Luke smiled. "So, what does it mean to you?"

"Like I said. It can mean anything. To me, it means _something._ I'm not gonna tell you what, but I will tell you the rose is telling you I'm in. I'm all in."

"All in what?"

"This." Luke gestured between them as he leaned forward. "You and me. Us. I'm not here to fool around- no pun intended. I'm serious about us and I'm all in."

"Well, in that case." Lorelai leaned forward so she was an inch from Luke's face. "I'm all in too. One question though."

"What's that?"

"You said the rose went from white to red meaning it started at the bottom up. Why not start from the top?"

"Because friendship can always turn into love, but love can't turn into friendship."

* * *

_Present Day_

Lorelai stared at the dying daisies sitting on the front desk. The started to wilt a week ago due to the lack of care. Michel was supposed to replace them, but Michel being Michel didn't. Lorelai looked across the desk where the beautiful fire and ice roses were placed. Unlike the daisies, Lorelai tended to the roses personally and almost religiously. They lived nearly three times longer than the other flowers. Only Luke brought her fire and ice roses. He would bring her the roses every two weeks. The roses on the desk were the last ones he had brought to her. They were almost six months old.

He gave them to her the day things escalated between them. The poor man didn't know what hit him. She didn't know why she kept them or why she took care of them so well. Maybe she kept them to remind her about their happier days, that they did have good times and memories once upon a time. _Once upon a time,_ she laughed to herself. The appropriate start to a fairytale. She wasn't sure if this fairytale had a happy ending. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the words Luke had said about the roses on their first date out of her mind.

Friendship can always turn into love, but love can never turn into friendship.

* * *

_1984_

"Come on. Tell me," Lorelai begged as she tugged at Luke's sleeve. "Do you like music?"

"I don't know," Luke laughed. She was trying to beat something out of him that wasn't there. "Do _you_ like music?"

"Oh my God. I _love_ music! Mainly the stuff my mom hates."

"How sweet."

"But I love all kinda of music. Classical, jazz, rock and roll, ballads, blues…everything!"

Luke smiled. "My mom would have loved you."

"Come on. Just tell me. What are you into?"

"Uh, I like the old stuff like Frank Sinatra, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Jimmy Buffett…"

"Jimmy Buffett? You're a Buffett head!" Lorelai asked excitedly.

"Ok, you are _way_ too excited to know." They got into the truck.

"Fine. If turned the radio on right now, what would we hear?"

"Probably jazz or country."

"Country? Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Charlie Daniels Band, John Denver country?"

"It's my dad's influence. He says it's everyday music for the everyday man."

"Are you two close?"

"We're not best friends, but we've got a good relationship."

"That's the kind of relationship I want with Rory. I don't want to be just her mom. I wanna be her best friend."

"You will be," Luke said as he started up the car.

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Do you want kids?" Lorelai asked as he began to drive.

"Uh, I've thought about it if that's what you're asking."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a 'It'll be a discussion'."

"Then lets discuss it."

Luke looked over at Lorelai. "You want to discuss having kids with me?"

"You said it'd be a discussion, but you didn't say with who."

"Ok, it's not that I totally hate kids, I just _really _hate jam hands. Even if there's no jam in the house, they have jam hands. Then they go around touching everything and it all gets sticky and jam handy."

"Jam handy?"

"Jam handy. I've got a four year old cousin and the kid's always sticky. I don't get it! It's like, 'Wash your damn kid!'." Luke glanced at Lorelai in the corner of his eye. She looked a little hurt. "But then again…even though I'm happy not having to be in charge of another person's bodily functions, I guess it'd be nice to have a kid. I don't know. To have someone look up to you and call you their hero. It'd be nice to know not _all_ innocence has been lost."

Lorelai smiled. "Do you really want kids or are you just saying that because I have a kid?"

"I'm saying that because I _like_ your kid."

"Thanks." She turned to look out her window. "Um, Luke? Where are we going?"

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": Luke and Lorelai continue to reminisce about their first date and how things used to be. Rory's on the phone with her guest and tells him she's worried about her parents' relationship._**

**A/N: I was born in mid-1986 so my music history is sorta shot right now. It's one in the morning and I'm not trying to double check if I'm right or wrong. I'm slowly feeding you tidbits on Luke and Lorelai's relationship in the present. What do we have so far? Luke's grumpier than usual and beats up his appliances, Lorelai's not at the diner as often and keeps six month old and dead flowers, they're edgy and hesitant around each other…I miss anything out? Oh yeah. An explanation! It's coming soon. You know what? Imma tell you right now! As long as I don't get distracted. Oh look, something shiney...**


	14. We Danced

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 14- We Danced**

"Hurry," Luke said excitedly as he pulled Lorelai toward their destination.

"Luke, where are you taking me?" Lorelai asked with a laugh. He was acting like a child and she found it very cute.

"You'll see. Just follow me." They stopped in front of the wire fence surrounding the baseball field. "Ok. Come on."

"Come on? Where?"

Luke pointed to the field. "In there."

"What? No. We can't go in there."

"Why not?"

"For one thing, the gate's locked."

Luke dropped Lorelai's hand and jogged over to the bleachers. He reached beneath them and pulled out his toolbox and a blanket. She watched in semi-shock as he picked the lock, then pushed the gates open. He walked through the gate. "Let's go."

"We can't go in there."

"Yeah we can. I picked the lock."

"We're not supposed to be here," she whispered, scared that someone was going to catch them. She was usually the thrill seeker, but tonight she'd have to be the voice of reason.

"We're not supposed to be here," Luke mocked. Lorelai gave him a look that said she was serious. "I just wanna show you something."

"What? The back of the bars in a jail cell? Luke, we're trespassing. We're going to get in trouble."

"I wanna show you something. I need you to trust me. Do you?" He held his hand out to her.

Lorelai hesitated before putting her hand in his. "You better have your pants on when you show me whatever it is you want me to see." He led her to the pitcher's mound where he laid out the blanket and then laid down on it. "What are you doing now?"

"Lying down. Lay down next to me."

"No. I am not lying down on the ground."

"That's why I put the blanket on the ground." Lorelai didn't move. Luke propped himself up on his elbows. "Lorelai, come on. I'm not going to attack you."

"My dress will go up."

"I won't look up your dress if that's what you're afraid of. That is, unless you want me to. Then I'll happily oblige and look up your dress. Then again, you're already standing so I can see up your dress anyway."

Lorelai quickly sat down. "I don't know _what _has gotten into you today Luke Danes." She noticed her was still looking at her like he wasn't satisfied. "What now?"

"Well, you're sitting. You have to lay down to see what I wanted you to see."

She sighed and fell back onto the blanket. "There. You happy?"

"Almost. I just need you to do one more thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Look up."

Lorelai did as Luke had requested and when she did, she was awed by the sight in front of her. "Oh wow. Luke…it's…wow."

"I found out that the best place to see the stars at night is right here on the pitcher's mound. It's better if you lay down."

"You've done this before."

"Many times actually. To think."

"And how many women have you shared this with?"

"Just you."

"What about Rachel?"

"Rachel wasn't the 'look at the stars' kinda girl. She was the kind to chase after them."

"I can't believe how something so simple can be so beautiful if you just really look at it."

Little did Lorelai know, Luke wasn't looking up at the stars. He was looking at her. "Yeah. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Lorelai turned her head to see Luke was looking at her. "You're not looking at the stars."

"I can see the stars any night. I like looking at you better."

She began to blush, so she changed the subject. "So what do you have planned for us Romeo?"

"Uh…nothing. This is pretty much it."

"How anticlimactic."

"Well, what do I do to make this climax?" He immediately regretted saying that.

"Dirty. It feels like something's missing." She got and idea and sat up. "Do you wanna dance?"

"What? No."

"Aw come on Luke. Let's dance." She stood up and waited for him to do the same. "You'll pick a lock, trespass onto the school baseball field, risk getting us caught and thrown in jail for the night, and all just to show me the stars, but you won't dance?"

"I _don't _dance."

"Come on Luke. I did what you wanted. Just dance with me. What's more romantic than dancing under the stars? It's the perfect ending to the perfect date."

Did she say _perfect date_? Luke sighed and got to his feet. "What are we supposed to dance to? There's no music."

"There's always music in my head."

"I'm sure there is."

"Why don't you sing 'Margaritaville' Jimmy?" she teased.

"Oh you are hilarious."

"I know. So, this music dilemma…what do we do?"

Luke took one of her hands and gently pulled her into him, placing his other hand on her hip. "We can make our own." She rested her free hand on his shoulder and they began to waltz as he hummed a tune.

"You're really good at this," Lorelai smiled.

"Thank you. It's a God given talent," Luke joked as he spun her.

"Remind me to start going back to church to thank him. I'm having a great time tonight Luke."

He spun her again and stepped into the turn. "So am I."

They stared at each other for a long while- too lost in each other's presence to notice the flash in th background- until he finally made a move to kiss her. Their lips were so close to meeting that Lorelai could feel the warmth of his breath when they were suddenly interrupted. "What's going on out there? Who's out there?" someone called.

"Ah jeez," Luke muttered. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "That's my coach. He's gonna _kill_ me."

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Lorelai laughed.

* * *

_Present Day_

They danced under the stars every year on the anniversary of their first date. Even when Lorelai was pregnant and wasn't allowed to go outside because she might get sick, they danced. Luke put up glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling of their bedroom and they danced there. Every year the song changed since they never had a real "first dance" song. But like the roses, the dancing stopped. Luke's heart sank a lower. He slammed the receipt in his hand down onto the pile. He heard the jingling of the bells indicating another customer, but didn't look up.

"I think I forgot my phone earlier," Lorelai stated.

"You mean you dropped it when you attacked me," Luke said, not looking away from his receipts.

"Is it here or not?" Luke pulled the cell phone out and placed it on the counter. "Thank you."

"Uh huh."

"So Patty just finished telling the part about our first date."

Luke froze for a second but didn't look up. "Yeah?"

"Yup. Remember when we got caught on the field by your coach? He threatened to call the police for trespassing, but you talked him out of it."

Luke let out a laugh and looked up, revealing a smile. "I had to run twenty laps around the whole field and wash the team vans for the rest of the season so he wouldn't. I was so tired. Remember how tired I was?"

"Of course I do. You were supposed to help me get a Christmas tree, but you fell asleep on my couch," Lorelai laughed. She playfully pushed her husband's chest.

"I made up for it didn't I? I got you that tree."

"Yeah, you did."

Luke's face turned serious. "We didn't dance this year did we?" he whispered.

"No we didn't. And you stopped giving me roses six months ago," she whispered back. Luke returned his gaze to the receipts. "I should probably get back to the inn. I'm gonna call Rory. Can I have a coffee to-go?"

"Sure and no cell phones."

"I'm calling Rory." He simply pointed at the sign behind him. "Fine. I'll go upstairs and call her."

Lorelai disappeared behind the curtain. She was half way up the stairs when Luke remembered what was upstairs. He dropped the receipts and chased after Lorelai. By the time he reached the top of the steps, he was too late. Lorelai stood in the middle of their old apartment- the first home they shared- surrounded by one hundred and forty-four or more specifically twelve bouquets fire and ice roses. Six months worth of roses all addressed to Lorelai.

* * *

_1984_

"I can't believe how serious he was," Lorelai laughed as Luke walked her to her door.

"He wasn't really gonna call the police. Coach Clark tends to overreact," Luke remarked.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

"I told you already. Don't worry about it." When they got to the door, they faced each other and Luke shoved his hands in his pockets. "So…"

"I had a great time tonight."

"Me too. We should do it again sometime."

"I'd like that."

"Good. I guess this is it. Good night Lorelai."

"Good night Luke." He kissed her cheek before headed back down the path. She touched her cheek and smiled before going inside.

* * *

_Present Day_

"I really think there's something wrong," Rory admitted as she crossed the street.

"Maybe you're just paranoid," he joked.

"You're not funny."

"All I'm saying is you shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"I'm not jumping. Lane says Mom's not going to the diner and Dad's beating up his toaster."

"Luke always beats up that stupid toaster. He should just buy a new one."

"Do not change the subject mister."

"One person's observations isn't grounds to believe your parents are fighting."

"Why can't you just be on my side?"

"Because this is ridiculous. You're overreacting again."

"I am not."

"Uh huh. Whatever you say. Where are you now?"

"I just left Miss Patty's. When are you getting here?"

"Five. I'm coming from gate sixteen."

"Five. Sixteen. Got it."

"Do they know I'm coming yet?"

"They know I have a guest."

"That's all I am now? A guest? They don't know it's me do they?"

"I want it to be a surprise."

"Yeah Luke will be surprised. He'll be so surprised, he's gonna run me over with his truck."

"He's not going to run you over with his truck."

"I'll believe it when I'm not under his tires."

"Very funny." Rory paused when she saw Luke and Lorelai through the diner windows. They were laughing about something. They looked happy. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions."I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. Bye Rory."

"Bye."

He put the receiver down and walked across the room. He put his watch on and grabbed his keys. He couldn't wait to see Luke's face when he saw him.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": 1984- Luke invites Lorelai (and Rory of course) to spend Christmas with his family. Present Day- Rory voices her concerns to her sister. No, it's not Gigi. It's her OTHER sister._**

**A/N: I was planning on revealing the guest, but then I changed my mind. I want you to find out when Luke and Lorelai find out. Don't worry it'll be in a few chapters. And yes, I had to flip a coin. I couldn't decide because the pro-con lists were equal. Not too sure what that shiny thing was. I lost interest in it when it got up and walked away. And for the record, I didn't make up the fire and ice rose. It's real. The boy I fancy (hehehe. that sounds funny) gave me one for my 18th birthday.**


	15. I still care

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 15- I still care**

"So how'd your date go with Lorelai on Friday?" Kevin asked as they headed down the hall.

"Fun. A little eventful, but fun," Luke replied.

"I heard Coach Clark busted you two on the field," Jackson said.

"Were you guys doing something dirty?" Andrew asked.

"No. It was all one big misunderstanding. I took her to the field and coach caught us dancing," Luke explained.

"Were you horizontal?" Kevin teased.

"No! We were dancing. Regular, non-sexual dancing. I took her to Sniffy's for dinner, then…"

"You took her to Sniffy's? You don't take anyone to Sniffy's," Kirk remarked.

"She's not just _anyone._ She's special and I really like her," Luke said sheepishly.

"We can tell," Andrew said.

"And we're happy for you Luke." Kevin added as he patted his friend on the back. "So, you two crazy kids going out again?"

"Yeah," Luke replied. "We talked on the phone over the weekend, but we didn't exactly set a date to go out."

"Score," Jackson teased. "Hey, what did you dad have to say about Lorelai? I mean, he knows she has a kid right?"

"He knows. From what he's heard about her from me and Liz, he likes her."

"You talking about me?" Lorelai asked jokingly as she and the other girls walked up from behind.

"Of course!" Luke said sarcastically. "Because God forbid the world revolve around anything other than you."

"Glad you finally come to your senses Danes."

"It was bound to happen." Luke smiled at Lorelai. "Hey."

"Hey. I have a question for you. Since we get out early on Wednesday, do you wanna come over and help me get Rory's very first Christmas tree?"

"Ah jeez. I have baseball practice on Wednesday. I can come over afterwards though."

"Good. It's a plan."

"Oh this is so exciting!" Sookie squealed. "You two making plans and acting all funny. I love it!"

Luke stared awkwardly at Sookie for a moment. "So, Lorelai," he said turned toward Lorelai again. "Are you and Rory spending Christmas alone?"

"We're going to my parents' Christmas party next weekend, but we'll be at the inn on the actual holiday. Do you want to come over on Christmas Eve or something?"

"Actually, my family's coming to town Christmas Eve. I was kinda hoping you'd spend Christmas with me…and my family. You could, uh, meet my, uh, my…dad."

Everyone let out a gasp. "You're gonna introduce her to your dad?" Gypsy asked.

"Dude, you waited like a year and a half to introduce Rachel to him," Andrew remarked.

"And it was an accident," Sookie added. "She walked into the hardware store looking for you and you caved in."

"Gosh gee golly Wolly, do you really wanna introduce her to your pa already?" Kevin joked.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "I think what the Beav is trying to say is: don't you think you're moving a little too fast? You guys _just_ start dating and you already want to introduce her to your dad? No offense Lorelai, we love you and all, but this isn't Luke Danes behavior."

"Actually," Luke interrupted, getting a little angry with his friends butting into his business. "_My father_ asked me to invite Lorelai so he could meet her. It was _his_ idea."

"Luke," Lorelai said, touching his arm knowing he was getting angry. "I would love to spend the holiday with you and your family."

"Good. I'll tell my dad."

"So, tree hunting Wednesday."

"Tree hunting Wednesday. I'll be there."

* * *

_Present Day_

Rory headed to the bookstore. She stopped and waved at Andrew, who was sitting behind the counter. She remembered seeing him a lot when she was little- Jackson too. But as the years went by, she saw less and less of Luke's "best friends." Andrew acknowledged her with a nod and went back to his own book. Sure enough, in the corner of the room was her fifteen year old sister Kelly. The teenager was so wrapped up in her book, she didn't hear Rory walk up behind her. "What ya reading?" Rory asked suddenly.

"Ah jeez!" Kelly gasped. "Rory! Don't do that!"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't get this fun reaction from you."

"You call a heart attack fun?"

"I need to ask you something," Rory said as she took a seat next to her sister.

"Let me get over my seizure first. Hey, I thought you weren't coming home…"

"Until next week. I know. I came to surprise you guys. Now can I ask my question?"

"As long as it doesn't have to do with me breaking any laws or doing something to one of our siblings. Mom and Dad are _still_ mad about the time we tried to ship Mikey to the Philippines."

"Ok, we were what? Twelve and seven? At least we gave him air holes. When Dad tried to send Aunt Liz away in a box, he didn't give her air holes."

"Yeah, but I don't think he was expecting her to be sent back. We just wanted that candy, which I found out they sell at this oriental store in Litchfield."

"Really? I'll drive us down there later and we can get some."

"Didn't you want to ask me something?" Rory's face turned serious. She leaned over the table and motioned for her sister to come closer so she could whisper to her. "I like whispering. Is this gossip? We're like the Patty and Babette of the next generation. I call being Babette."

"I need you to be serious Kel. I need to know if Mom and Dad have been acting…different."

"Not really. They're still all lovey-dovey in front of everyone."

"In front of everyone as in the town, but what about at home?"

"I don't know. I guess they're the same. Sometimes they seem tense around each other, but nothing out of the norm."

"So everything is normal?"

"As far as normal goes with them. Well, there was that time…never mind. It's probably nothing."

"No, what time?"

"There was once when I got home from practice early and I sorta walked in on them…I don't know. I might be wrong, but I think they were fighting. Mom threw her shoe at Dad. They said they were just playing around, but it looked so real. Why are you asking? Do you know something I don't? Rory, spill."

"You'd know more than I would. I just got this feeling."

"Oh. No. Is it the gut?"

"Journalistic intuition. It just seems like every move they make around each other, everything they say to each other is rehearsed." Rory spotted the worry in her sister's eyes. She knew that look too well. "But I could be wrong."

"Yeah. I mean, come on, it's Mom and Dad. She pants him once just so she could get a head start to the kitchen for coffee. And there was the time he called everyone in town and the three surrounding counties and told them not to give her any coffee. Then there was the time she threw everything at him for practically no reason."

"Oh yeah. That was when she was…" Rory paused. "You know what. You're probably right. I'm probably just being paranoid."

"If they're fighting, not that I'm saying they are, do you think it could be about…"

"I never thought about it. It's been almost a year since…"

"They were really sad. I think Dad was on antidepressants."

"Let's…let's talk about something else."

"You hear about Patty's story hour?"

"They're telling Mom and Dad's 'story'."

"It's a three parter."

"I'm not surprised. You try squeezing twenty years into an hour."

"Hey, do you think Patty will bring up…the accident?"

"I hope not. It was hard enough trying to live through it once. If Mom and Dad tried to do it again, I don't think they'd make it."

* * *

_1984_

Lorelai hurried to the door. When she opened it, Luke stood on the other side. They were supposed to go Christmas tree shopping, but seeing him now brought those chances down. He looked so tired.

"Hey, are you ok?" she asked as she helped him into the house.

"I'm fine," Luke replied as he sat on the couch.

"You look tired. What happened?"

"Remember how I told you I would deal with Coach Clark so he wouldn't report us?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I dealt with him. I just got finished running twenty laps around the entire baseball field, bleachers and all. No break, no water, no cutting corners."

"Oh my God. Are you ok?"

"I'm a little tired, but I'll be ok."

"We don't have to get the tree today."

"No. I promised to get you the tree. We're going to get the tree. I just need to…rest my eyes for a minute. You go get ready and we'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm not breaking my promise. It's not way to start a relationship. Now, go. Get ready."

"Ok. I'm just gonna get my coat and put a jacket on Rory."

"I'll be right here."

Lorelai walked to the other side of the room and put Rory's jacket on. She put her in the stroller while she went to the closet to get her own jacket. She headed back over to Luke as she was putting her jacket on.

"Ok Luke, we're all ready to…" she trailed off when saw Luke fast asleep. She sighed and laughed to herself. He looked so cute sleeping. She took his boots off and maneuvered his body so he was laying on the couch. She put a blanket over his body and picked up his baseball cap that had fallen on the floor. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled before leaning over and kissing his cheek.

She walked back over to Rory, took her out of the stroller, and out of her jacket. She sat down in one of the table chairs with Rory in her lap and they watched Luke sleep. "What are we gonna do with him Rory?" she joked. Rory giggled. "So what do you think? Is he a keeper?" Rory smiled and clapped her hands. "Yeah. I think so too."

* * *

_Present Day_

One hundred and forty-four. There were one hundred and forty-four fire and ice roses and one guilty diner man surrounding Lorelai. For once, she was speechless.

"Lorelai, let me explain," Luke said as he took a step closer to Lorelai.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked shakily as she took a step back.

"Lorelai…"

"Why are you making this harder than it has to be?" Luke stared at his wife. It was his turn to be speechless. After long moments of silence, Lorelai shook her head and ran past Luke.

He stood in the room by himself, staring at the roses. "Because I still care," he answered Lorelai's question to the roses. He walked over to the table and sat down, burying his face in his hands. He wanted to make things better, but he may have just made them worse.

* * *

_1984_

It was dark when Luke finally woke up. He rolled over in attempt to fall asleep again, but he just fell off the couch. "God…ah jeez," he groaned. He looked around and realized he was just on a couch and he wasn't at home.

Lorelai sat up in her bed and looked down at Luke. "Luke? Are you ok?" she asked.

"What am I still doing here?"

Lorelai got out of bed and walked over to him. "You fell asleep. You looked so tired I didn't want to wake you."

Luke sat up, leaning against the couch. "My dad's gonna kill me."

"I already called Liz and told her you were here. She's gonna tell your dad you're spending the night _on my couch_." Lorelai sat next to him on the floor, putting the blanket over them.

"Oh, he's gonna have a field day with this one. Wait a minute. Your tree. Ah jeez. We were supposed to get you a tree. I'm sorry Lorelai."

"It's ok."

"No. I promised you I'd get you a tree."

"Forget about the tree Luke. I don't really need it anyway. I'm spending Christmas with you."

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts."

"What time is it?"

"Ten thirty."

"Man it's late."

"Yeah. Come on. Let's go back to bed." Luke was about to get back on the couch when Lorelai stopped him. "I said let's go to _bed. _The _bed_ is over there." She took him by the hand and brought him to her bed.

"You want me to sleep with you in your bed?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's not like we're doing anything. What? Do you not trust me?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Lorelai, because he did. He didn't trust himself. But it was getting harder and harder to refuse Lorelai when she was looking at him with those puppy dog eyes. He let out a sigh. "You want the right or the left?"

"Left."

Luke walked over to the other side of the bed and got in. The bed was just big enough for two- of course they were a little squished but it didn't bother them much. Lorelai lifted her head and Luke placed his arm under her. He wrapped his other arm around her waist.

"Feels good," Lorelai smiled.

"Feels perfect," Luke said. He kissed the back of her head and they drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": The next chapter will take place in 1984 entirely- Lorelai attends her parents' Christmas party. Later on, she spends Christmas Eve with the Danes family- and a few other guests._**

**A/N: I was tossed up between how Lorelai's reaction should be to the roses. I did a compromise and I hope it was ok. Ok, I dropped hints like crazy in this one. There are clues lingering on practically on every word here! Ok, maybe not _every_ word, but there are a lot and I'll admit some of them are really hard to find. Now for a shameless plug! I got bored and created a website for my stories. A permanent home if you would. My fan fictions will be the heart of it and I invite you to check it out and post your fics. It's a growing site so I'm also looking for some help managing it. Email me if you're interested. The website is dinergirl(dot)proboards42(dot)com. **


	16. Kissless on Christmas

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 16- Kiss-less on Christmas**

"Tell me again," Luke said as he helped packed Rory's baby bag. "Why does your family celebrate Christmas this early?"

"My dad's business has him traveling a lot and it usually keeps him away from home on Christmas and New Years," Lorelai replied.

"And what business is he in? The mafia?"

"Close. Insurance."

"So, scarier than the mafia."

"Exactly."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?"

"I don't want to make you drive to Hartford, then to Stars Hollow, back to Hartford, and then back to Stars Hollow."

"I don't mind."

"I know and I appreciate the offer, but really, it's fine. Don't worry about it Luke. My dad's sending a driver to pick me up."

Luke shrugged as he put the last of Rory's bottles in the bag and zipped it up. "What time will you be home?"

"I don't know. I'm not planning to stay very long though."

"Call me when you get home?"

"Of course."

"Ok. Well, I guess I'm gonna head on home then." He walked over to Rory and kissed her forehead. "Bye-bye princess." He turned around to face Lorelai again. "I'll talk to you later."

"Ok. Bye Luke."

"Bye Lorelai." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

He always kissed her on the cheek. Since their first date, it was always a kiss on the cheek- not the lips. She had asked him why once and he said he wanted their first kiss to be special. It had to be at the right time in the right place at the right moment. Lorelai began to wonder when that time would come. She put Rory in her car seat, grabbed the baby bag, and headed to the inn to meet up with her driver.

Half an hour later, she stood in front of the home she had run away from nearly two months ago. When the door opened, she was greeted by the new maid. She wasn't too shocked the Gilmores had a new maid. They never did last more than a month.

"Hi, you don't know me, but I'm Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore's daughter Lorelai," Lorelai said. "They're expecting me."

"Of course. They're in the livingroom," the maid said. "May I take your coat?"

"Sure." Lorelai took her coat off and handed it to the maid. "Thank you." Lorelai headed to the livingroom with the car seat. She took a deep breath before clearing her throat to make her presence known.

Richard was the first to look up. His eyes lit up and he practically jumped out of his seat. "Lorelai," he smiled as he made his way over to his daughter and granddaughter. He immediately hugged Lorelai. "I'm so glad you came."

"Of course I came," Lorelai said, forcing a smile. It wasn't very easy to smile with her mother glaring at her. "It's Christmas."

"Indeed it is." Richard looked down at Rory in the car seat. "My God, she's gotten big!"

"Yeah. Would you like to hold her dad?"

"May I?" Lorelai nodded and took Rory out of her car seat, handing the baby to her father. "Oh my. Hello there little one. Remember me? I'm your grandpa."

Lorelai turned to Emily. They were going to have to speak eventually. "Hi Mom."

"Lorelai," Emily said.

"Merry Ch…"

"Richard, let me see our granddaughter." Emily stood up and walked over to Richard before Lorelai could even finish her sentence.

"Christmas." Lorelai sighed. "This is going to be a _long_ night."

* * *

Luke groaned as he was suddenly awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. He reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" he asked sleepily into the phone. 

"Hey," Lorelai greeted.

Luke immediately sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Oh hey."

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, no. it's only…" Luke glanced over at his clock. "Twelve thirteen? Ah jeez."

Lorelai laughed. "I woke you up. I'll just talk to you later."

"No. I wanna hear about your party." Luke sank back into his bed.

"There's not much to tell. Dad talked to his associates the whole time and Mom ignored me. I would have come home earlier, but Dad wouldn't let me leave."

"Sounds like fun."

"Oh, oodles." It was quiet on both ends of the phone. "You're sleeping."

"No I'm not."

"I can hear you snore."

"I don't snore."

"What's that sound then?"

"The voices in your head."

"I'm hanging up on you."

"Good. Then I can go back to sleep."

Lorelai laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Night Luke."

"Night Lorelai."

* * *

_Christmas Eve_

Lorelai stood on the doorstep of the Danes residence. She was nervous about meeting Luke's family. Liz had told her once that Luke was the golden boy of the family. Unlike his cousins, he barely got into trouble and had been helping his father for years. Would they like her? Would they think she was good enough for Luke? What would they think about her job? Her living arrangements? If they didn't like her, she had no chance with him. Lorelai's thoughts were interrupted when Rory began to stir in her sleep. She looked down at the bundled up little girl in the stroller. What about Rory? What would they think about her? Given Liz had a baby too, but she and Jimmy were getting married. Chris hadn't even tried to see Rory since Lorelai packed their things and left for Stars Hollow. What was Luke's family going to think now?

After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Luke stood on the other side in a red sweater an d khakis. "Hey," he smiled. "Merry Christmas." He kissed her cheek as she pushed the stroller into the house.

"Merry Christmas to you too. You look nice. Is that a new sweater?"

"Yup."

"It looks nice on you."

"Thank you. You look beautiful as usual." Luke took Rory out of the stroller. "Well hello there princess. Wow. Now that is a nice dress you got on there."

"My dad bought it for her for Christmas. So where do I put the gifts? Under the tree right?"

"You brought gifts?"

"It's Christmas. You can't invite me and expect me not to bring gifts."

"You didn't need to bring gifts. I mean…you know…it's just…kinda…"

A smile crept across Lorelai's face when she realize what Luke was doing. "You're stalling."

"What? No! No. I'm…I'm not stalling. I…no. I'm not."

"We've been on the foyer for three minutes."

Luke let out a sigh. "We'll go in there, but you have to promise me you won't go running and screaming out of the room."

"Why would I do that?"

"Trust me. After meeting my family, it'll be the least you want to do." Luke took Lorelai's hand with his free one and led them to the living room. Lorelai only recognized Liz, Kevin, Kirk, and Sarah. "Hey everyone, can I get your attention?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Luke. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet my girlfriend Lorelai Gilmore."

Lorelai's smile grew a little wider. She and Luke had been dating for a while now, but they never referred to each other as 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend.' She liked the way it sounded.

"That's Uncle Louis." When Louis mumbled something to himself, Luke just pretended not to hear him. "And this is…" Luke was cut off by his father.

"William Danes," William said as he walked up to Lorelai and shook her hand. "I'm Luke's father."

"Mr. Danes, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Lorelai smiled.

"Oh the pleasure's all mine. And please, call me William. You look beautiful tonight. Luke, doesn't she look beautiful?"

"She always does," Luke remarked, making Lorelai blush.

William looked at the baby in Luke's arms. "And who would this be?"

"This," Lorelai smiled as she tucked a stray hair behind Rory's ear, "is Rory, my daughter."

"May I?" William looked to Lorelai for approval to hold Rory. Lorelai nodded and he took Rory from Luke, "My God, she is the cutest little girl I've ever seen."

"Lorelai, these are my grandparents," Luke introduced, "Alex and Lena Dounas and Lucas and Grace Danes. I was named after both these fine gentlemen, Lucas Alexander."

"It's nice to meet you all," Lorelai smiled.

"My grandson has great taste," Grandpa Lucas smiled. "You look like an angel and your daughter is absolutely adorable."

"You are the most beautiful young woman Luke ever brought home," Grandpa Alex said in his thick Greek accent.

Grandpa Alex then said something to Grandma Lena in Greek and Grandpa Lucas translated it to Grandma Grace in Italian. They all smiled and started nodding.

* * *

It had certainly been a crazy night. William and Louis were at each other's throats as usual about something simple as usual. Kirk almost knocked over the tree trying to plug in the lights. Kevin accidentally spilled some of the white sauce for the pasta that was for dinner into Luke's lap, it was funny- probably more so because it looked like he had done something dirty- to see, but Luke wasn't laughing. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to open gifts. Luke gave Rory a teddy bear. "Rory's" gift to Luke was a framed Christmas portrait of her. 

"This is for you," Lorelai said handing Luke her gift to him. "I know it's not much…"

"It's a new baseball cap," Luke smiled as he looked into the bag. "Thanks." When he took the hat out, something fell into his lap. He unwrapped the little box and stared at the contents.

The night Lorelai had Rory, when she had drifted off for a few minutes, Luke was trying to get comfortable when he felt something in his pocket. He pulled the bubble container out of his pocket that contained a novelty ring he won playing one of the claw machines earlier when he was bored of just sitting around the hospital. It was a simple silver ring with five fake baby blue diamonds embedded into it. He decided to leave it for Lorelai as a congratulations gift. He scribbled a note saying "To Lorelai. Congratulations on the baby. From Luke" and stuffed it into the container. He then dropped it into her purse in the closet. Luke had forgotten about the ring until this moment. He stared at the silver novelty ring with fake baby blue diamonds embedded into it as it dangled from the dog tag chain.

"Thank you," Luke said softly. "I love it." He put it on and handed Lorelai her gift.

Lorelai opened the box to find it filled with wrapping tissue. In the middle of the wrapping tissue sat a square black, velvet box. When she opened it, her breath was taken away. It was a gold, heart shaped locket on a gold chain. Lorelai held it up.

"Oh Luke, it's beautiful," she smiled. "This is…oh my God. It must have cost you a fortune."

"It doesn't matter."

"It did cost a lot. Luke, no." She held the locket out to him. She loved the gift, but she didn't want Luke spending so much money on her.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah but…"

"Then it's yours. It doesn't matter how much it cost." She stared at him with pleading eyes, but he closed Lorelai's palm around the locket and gently pushed it back to her. "It's ok." She smiled and put the locket on. He helped her up to her feet and took her by the hands. "Ok, come on. I have one more gift for you."

"Oh no. No more gifts mister. You already spent way too much on me."

"Would you quit whining and just come with me?" he laughed as he pulled her to the archway.

Lorelai stared at Luke. She didn't know why he made her get up to give her the last gift. " What are we doing?"

"I'm giving you your last gift."

"Ok…where is it?"

"Look up."

Lorelai looked up to see mistletoe hanging above their heads. She looked at Luke to see a smirk across his face. He put his hands on her face and pulled her in for a kiss. It was soft, slow, and the most amazing thing Lorelai had ever felt. It was so simple, but very passionate. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled. It was a merry Christmas indeed.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": Since this chapter was entirely in 1984, the next will be in the present day- Rory's guest arrives, which wreaks all kinds of havoc._**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. There was a family emergency and I had to fly out to Las Vegas immediately to help out my uncle. I didn't have time to save the fic to disk and bring it along because it was so sudden. I'm sorry, but hey, I'm making it up with revealing the guest- although, most of you probably already know who it is. **


	17. Guess who's coming to dinner

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 17- Guess who's coming to dinner**

Luke cursed himself as he slammed the door to his old apartment shut. After locking the door, he shoved the key into his pocket and stomped the whole way downstairs. It was a warning to everyone in the diner that he wasn't in the mood to play any games. Irritated Luke was someone you didn't want to cross.

"What do you want?" he growled at a customer as he pulled the ordering pad out of his pants.

A very frightened Dave stared up at his girlfriend's boss. He was too scared to form words and it angered Luke more. Lane mouthed 'Order something' to Dave.

"Ch…cheese burger, fr…fries, and a s…soda," Dave stuttered.

Luke scribbled the order down and walked behind the counter. He told Caesar the order and went to get something out of the storage room. Lane took the opportunity to talk to Dave.

"He scares me," Dave stated. "He's in a worse mood than…an hour ago. Why is he so mad?"

"I don't know. Lorelai was here earlier, but he was actually happy."

"Happy Luke scares me more than angry Luke."

"Anyway, they went upstairs and came back…that."

"Are Luke and Lorelai fighting?"

"I don't think so. They probably just got into an argument."

"About what?"

"Who Rory decided to bring?"

"Well, then now I get it," Dave said with a chuckle and nod. "I couldn't believe it when I found out Rory invited him to come. Luke and Lorelai must have been pissed."

"You know who Rory brought?"

"Yeah. I saw him in Rory's car at the gas station just outside of town. I thought you knew."

"Rory isn't telling anyone who it is."

"Maybe she decided to prepare her parents."

"Dave, it isn't who I think it is, is it?"

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the storage room. The thud was followed by a stream of profanities and growl. Luke walked out of the storage room and into the kitchen, grumbling to himself. Lane and Dave peeked into the storage room and winced when they saw the damage Luke had done.

"He took out a whole shelf!" Dave remarked in amazement.

"You should see what he did to the refrigerator last week."

* * *

Lorelai peeked into the kitchen and looked around for Sookie before walking in. Sookie was at the counter chopping vegetables. Lorelai took a deep breath and headed toward her friend. She felt horrible about blowing up at Sookie earlier, but after seeing the roses in the tiny apartment she, Luke, and Rory shared for five years, she felt worse and she needed to talk to someone. 

"Hey," Lorelai greeted.

Sookie looked up for a second. "Hey," she greeted.

"Sook, about earlier…"

"It's ok."

"No, Sookie, I yelled at you and I really shouldn't have. It's just…"

Sookie held up a hand to silence her friend. "You don't have to explain Lorelai. I know."

"You know?" Sookie nodded. "But…how?"

"Jackson told me, but I'm pretty sure the whole town knows by now."

"The whole town? I can't believe this. What are they saying?"

"I don't know if the _whole_ town knows. But I'm sure a few people do. Why didn't you tell me?"

Lorelai sighed and hopped onto a stool. "I don't know. It got complicated and I didn't know how to tell people."

"I know what you mean. I mean, how do you explain _that?_ But I gotta tell you, I was really relieved when I found out."

Lorelai's head shot up and she raised a brow. "What?"

"I was beginning to worry that it was a really big deal."

"Sookie, this _is_ a big deal! A _huge _deal!"

"Now I think you're over reacting," Sookie chuckled.

"I think you're crazy if you don't think this is a big deal!"

"You'll get over it Lorelai."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"You're still upset aren't you?"

"You think?"

Sookie sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You were acting so weird this morning and I was afraid something was wrong with you and Luke. Then Jackson told me he saw _him_ and it all made sense. I'd be upset too if I were you and I'm sure Luke wasn't too thrilled either…"

"Sookie, what are you talking about?"

"Rory bringing _you know who_ to celebrate yours and Luke's anniversary."

"You know who?" Then it hit Lorelai. Sookie didn't know about her and Luke. "Oh! Yeah. Of course. _Him._ yeah. Uh huh. I was really mad."

Sookie went back to chopping vegetables. "I can't believe he's here."

"The nerve of him," Lorelai played along.

"I mean, after what he did…" Sookie shook her head. "I'm telling you, he better not try anything funny or…" She ran her thumb along her neck in a swift motion.

That's when Lorelai realized who Sookie was talking about, who Rory had brought. "I'm sorry Sook, I have to go." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

"Lorelai, where are you going? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. I'll call you later."

With that, Lorelai ran out of the room. She quickly made her way out of the inn, waving off a complaining Michel as she power walked to her car. She took out her phone and tried calling Luke. She had to warn him before it was too late. She tried his cell phone, but of course, he didn't answer it. Then she tried the diner. Caesar answered.

"I'm sorry Lorelai," Caesar said. "He's not here."

"Where'd he go?" Lorelai asked as she drove down the street.

"He went home. He was in a real nasty mood so I didn't ask why."

"He didn't happen to hear anything about who Rory brought home did he?"

"Rory's home?"

"Never mind. Thanks Caesar." Lorelai hung up and tried Luke's cell again. "Come on Luke. Pick up your phone! I could be lying in a ditch, bleeding to death. Urgh! What's the point of having a cell phone if you're not going to answer it?"

Lorelai tossed her phone onto the passenger's seat and drove faster. She prayed to God she'd beat Luke home or that Rory wasn't there at least. Luke was just getting out of his car when she pulled up behind him in the driveway. He stopped and stared at her as she got out of her car.

"Are you insane?" he asked. "Why are you driving like a mad woman? Never mind, I know the answer to that."

Lorelai searched across the street for Rory's car as she headed toward Luke. It was no where to be seen. "Thank God. Rory's not home," she sighed.

"You told me you washed her sheets earlier."

"I did!"

"So you're just insane and don't want Rory to see when the guys in white jackets drag you off."

"She brought home a boy."

"Thanks for reminding me. I'm gonna go crawl under the house and die now."

"And not just any boy. She brought…" Lorelai paused. She didn't really think through this. She didn't know how to tell Luke without getting him completely upset.

"Lorelai. She brought…who?" She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "Did she ask Naked Guy to come?"

"Huh?"

"Naked Guy. You know, the guy that was naked in the dorm hall her freshman year at Yale."

"Oh, Marty. No. It's not Marty."

"Or is it that guy from Chilton? The jerk that always called her Mary. What was his name?"

"Tristan?"

"That's it! Tristan. Is it Tristan?" Lorelai shook her head. "Dean?" She shook her head again. "Oh no. It's not…did she…is it Logan Huntzberger?" Before Lorelai could answer, she spotted Rory's car heading down the street. And _he_ was in the passenger's seat.

Luke never did like Logan. Mainly because of the time he found Rory in a compromising position with the young Mr. Huntzberger. He thought Logan was a disrespectful rich boy. The kind of man Lorelai's parents had wanted her to end up with. Luke didn't trust Logan's type from experience. Nicole, his ex-girlfriend from _way_ back, was a rich girl and he didn't have enough money to get her to stay faithful. Then there was Lorelai's ex-boyfriend, Jason Stiles. He had been an asshole far beyond words. Luke wanted to kill him for the things he did.

And finally, there was Christopher Hayden- Rory's father. The son of a bitch chose money over his own kid. Rory hadn't even known he existed until she was three. She didn't meet him until she was seven. How a guy could abandon a girl like Rory was beyond Luke's understanding. He tried his best to keep Rory away from guys like Jason Stiles and Christopher Hayden.

Luke put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. "Lorelai, please tell me our daughter didn't bring Logan," he said.

"She didn't bring Logan," Lorelai replied softly.

"Then who did she bring?"

Just then, Rory pulled up to the curb and she and her guest got out of the car. Lorelai watched them as they silently made their way up the path toward them.

_This is going to be a disaster,_ Lorelai thought. _Luke's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill Rory. He's gonna kill **him!**_

Luke hadn't realized a car pulled up. Lorelai was freaking him out and now she wasn't even looking at him. If it wasn't Dean or Marty the Naked Guy or Tristan the Chilton Jerk, then who…then it hit him. There was only one other person it could possibly be who would made such a disaster of things even before his arrival.

_No,_ Luke thought to himself. _It couldn't…he can't…she wouldn't…_

He looked up at Lorelai for reassurance that it wasn't _him_. She gave no encouraging sign. She sighed one of those 'see for yourself' sighs and looked past her husband. She was telling him to turn around with her eyes, but he shook his head. If he didn't see it, it wasn't true.

"Mom! Dad!" Rory called as she picked up her pace. He guest did not. He kept a safe distance using the even strides they started out with. She turned Luke and Lorelai in an angle so they weren't able to see who was coming up the path- because apparently she didn't think Lorelai already saw him. "I'm sorry I took off like that. I just had something to do."

"Rory…" Lorelai tried to tell her daughter her cover was blown, but Rory interrupted her.

"I brought you guys a surprise," she said with a big smile.

"Ah jeez. I don't wanna know," Luke complained. He tried to leave, but Rory grabbed his arm.

"Come on. This'll just take a minute. I promise." Rory inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Ok, you know how I brought home someone to celebrate your anniversary?"

Luke and Lorelai shared a glance before replying with a long, "Yes."

"Well, I went to pick him up and…well, he's here!" She motioned for her guest to come over and he obliged. "Mom, Dad, it's…Jess."

Rory used both hands to present Jess as if he were a prize in a game show. She didn't get the reaction she had naïvely been hoping for. Lorelai let out a sigh as she lowered her head and shook it. Luke, on the other hand, reacted just as Jess had expected. He clenched his fists, an angry- er, angrier- expression took over his face, and he took hard breaths in a failing attempt to keep his cool. For the first time, ironically, Rory began to think she had done the wrong thing by bringing Jess. Her heart, though in the right place, blocked out the reason her parents disliked Luke's very own nephew when she came up with the idea to surprise them with him.

"So, how are you Uncle Luke?" Jess asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Luke didn't respond at first. He just stared the younger man down, shirking him a good six inches. Lorelai realized the second Luke's mouth opened to form words, they would be loud profane ones. She stopped him before he got the chance to let one out.

"Come on honey," she said, turning Luke toward the house and pushing him to it. "Let's go inside and we can talk."

Luke reluctantly obeyed. He quickly made his way up the porch steps and into the house, slamming the front door so hard they thought it would fall off. Rory jumped at sound of her step-father's angry actions. She too had lost a few inches.

"_We_, young lady, will talk about this later," Lorelai said before turning. She took a few steps before stopping to face her daughter again. "You better take Jess out for an hour or so. I have to calm your father down. Be back for dinner and he can get settled in afterwards." On that note, Lorelai went inside.

"He was mad," Rory stated as she looked down at her hands. "Maybe…maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He's already in a real foul mood."

"Luke's always in foul mood. Look, you did something because you thought they'd like it. If they can't appreciate it, then too bad," Jess said. "I mean, what's the big deal?"

"Jess, you know exactly what the big deal is. After what happened…" Rory paused for a second and took a deep breath. "They were really mad and disappointed. They don't think they can trust you after what happened."

"That was two years ago…"

"But they remember it like it was yesterday. Come on. Let's go to the book store."

* * *

"Jess? Jess?" Luke yelled as he paced around the living room. "Why? Why would she…why?" 

"Maybe she thought you'd like to share this 'celebration' with your family," Lorelai remarked.

"But Jess? She knows how we feel about that punk! God! You were right! What was I thinking when I let him stay with us?"

"You were thinking he needed help and you could lend a hand. It's not your fault he screwed up. You and I did everything we could for him. He's your nephew and we did what we had to."

"Nephew or not, he's not welcome in this house."

"Luke…"

"Don't 'Luke' me. He's not staying here."

"Where's he supposed to go?"

"I don't know and I really don't care at this point."

"We can't just put him out."

"Why not? We do it to Kirk all the time. The guy sleeps naked in Town Square for Christ sake!"

"Look, if we put him out, Taylor will just get on our case for setting him loose on the town. We've got enough to deal with as is. _Do not_ mess with me right now Luke. He's staying."

Luke stared at his wife, unable to form a rational thought. She was mad too. But it wasn't the Jess situation that was really bugging her. He knew what the real problem was and he knew better than to pick at it.

"I'll go change the sheets in the guestroom," Luke sighed. He headed for the stairs. Half way up, he looked back down into the living room and sadly, and unknowingly, watched as his wife sit on the couch this her back to him and softly began to cry. He hated when she cried. He hated it even more when she cried because of him.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985 (I skipped the New Years scene)- Luke and Lorelai are more open about their relationship. Luke notices a slight change in Kevin. Sookie and the other girls question Lorelai about the seriousness of her relationship with Luke. In the Present Day- Jess and Kelly have a run in after dinner in the kitchen. Luke and Lorelai have an awkward moment when it's time to go to bed._**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for an update. I thought I already had, but I'm losing my mind. I also had a few family obligations I had to tend to, all the while catching the stomach flu! How fun! For the record, it was supposed to be Logan. I started disliking him after what happened at the end of the last season and I decided to bring in Jess. We've answered the "Who's Rory's guest" question, the "What's up with Luke and Lorelai" is still in the air, and now we've added "What happened between Rory and Jess to make Luke and Lorelai hate him so much." So many questions, so little blunt clues.**


	18. What's your problem?

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 18- What's your problem?**

_1985_

Kevin, Jackson, Andrew, and Kirk were headed to the quad when Sookie ran up to them in the hallway. She had a big grin on her face and she was bouncing around like she always did when she had something "exciting" to tell them.

"You are not going to believe what we saw!" Sookie squealed.

"Have the penguins returned to pick at out brains until we slowly go insane?" Andrew joked.

"No."

"Then I'll believe it."

Jackson shoved Andrew. "What'd you see Sook?" Jackson asked.

"Ok, me and the girls were heading to the quad to meet up with Lorelai like we always do and that's when we saw Luke and Lorelai." The guys just stared at Sookie. "Kissing."

"Now that I don't believe," Andrew remarked. "Luke never shows any kind of affection in public."

"It's true! I swear! They were right in front of his locker making out! _And _his hands were in her back pockets."

"Was he looking for something?" Kirk asked innocently.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Sook, it's hard to believe Luke would make out with Lorelai in the middle of the school's halls. It's even _harder_ to believe he was groping her. Hell, it took the man three years to hold Rachel's hand in front of people," Jackson commented.

"His hands were in her back pockets while they made out in the middle of the hall. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other girls," Sookie said firmly.

"Where are the other girls?" Andrew asked.

"In the quad watching Luke and Lorelai play tonsil hockey." They stared at Sookie as if they still didn't believe her. "Fine. I'll prove it. Come on."

Sookie led the four guys to the quad where Sarah, Gypsy, Lulu, and Liz were. Their mouths dropped at what was before them. Lorelai was sitting _very _close to Luke- practically sitting on his lap- as they made out for the whole school to see. For years they had tried to get Luke to be more open about his relationships, but now that they were seeing it they weren't sure if it was what they wanted to see.

"I don't believe it," Jackson said in shock. "How long have they been like that?"

"Fifteen minutes," Sarah replied. "We tried poking them with a stick, but it only seems to get Luke irritated."

"Can they breathe?" Andrew asked half jokingly.

"I hope so," Gypsy replied.

"They're really starting to make me sick," Liz remarked. "It's bad enough I have to watch them do that at home."

Kevin cleared his throat a few times before it finally broke the couple apart. "Oh, hey guys," Luke greeted with a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"Your lung capacity must be a medical wonder," Andrew joked as he sat down on the bench.

"Shut up Andrew. You act like you've never seen me kiss a girl."

"That was no kiss lover boy. That, my friend, was sucking face," Jackson teased.

"Thank you for the commentary Jackson," Lorelai laughed. She turned to Kevin and smiled. "Hey Kev. You're awfully quiet today."

"Yeah, uh, I'm not feeling so chatty today," Kevin remarked.

Luke stared at his friend for a while and noticed something. He immediately got up and walked over to Kevin. "Excuse us," Luke said as he started to drag Kevin aside. "We'll be right back."

Luke finally let Kevin go when they were across the quad. "What's your problem?" Kevin bit.

"You're drunk aren't you?"

Kevin tried to walk past Luke. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Luke grabbed him by the arm. "Don't lie to me. You've got that glassy look in your eyes and your breath reeks of vodka!"

"So I had a few drinks! What's it to you?"

"What's it to me? You're wasted at school dumb ass! Do you know how much trouble you can get into for that? Is everything ok? Are you having problems at home? Are you and Sarah fighting?"

"Lay off me already Danes! Jesus Christ!"

"I'm just trying to help you!"

"Well don't! It's none of your business."

"Kev, we've been best friends for sixteen years. We tell each other everything. What's going on?"

"It doesn't matter. Why don't you go back to your _girlfriend_," he spat before walking away, leaving a dumbfounded Luke behind.

* * *

_Present Day_

Dinner had gone fairly well. By fairly well, I mean there was no blood shed. Although, Luke did imagine ripping his only nephew to sheds with his bare hands. Lorelai took it a step further and acknowledged Jess and made somewhat small talk. Luke was good for a few grunts here and there. Mikey, bless his eight year old heart, chatted up a storm with his beloved cousin Jess. He was intrigued with the stories Jess had brought home. But Kelly didn't even make an attempt to talk to Jess. She wouldn't even look up at him. She remained silent throughout the whole dinner. Her anger at Jess spilled over to Rory, so she gave her sister the silent treatment too.

It was sometime later that night when Kelly headed to the kitchen for something to drink. Everyone had already retreated to their bedrooms. She pulled a glass out of the cupboard and poured herself some water from the pitcher in the refrigerator. She was shocked when the lights suddenly turned on.

"You really shouldn't be walking around in the dark," Jess joked.

"What are you doing here?" Kelly spat.

"I'm getting some water. Jeez. What's you're problem?"

Kelly's eyes followed Jess as he got himself a cup of water. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you." He held up his glass and swished the water around. "Water."

"No. I meant, _here. _In Stars Hollow. Why'd you come back?" He took a big gulp of water instead of answering. "I know you're not here to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary."

"What if I am?" She gave him a 'I'm not buying it' look. "Rory asked me to come ok?"

"Oh. Sure. You'll come if _Rory_ asks."

Jess put his cup down on the counter and stared at his cousin. "I'm really not liking you attitude. You don't have to talk to me, but what the hell Kelly? Rory's your sister."

"She of all people knows how this family feels about you and she still brought you. She thinks you can come back and all will be forgotten. Well, if she's stupid enough to think that, I'm not gonna waste my breath breaking the news to her."

"Why do you guys all hate me?"

"Do you even have to ask? After what you pulled two years ago, you've become a four letter word around here. You hurt every single person in this family with your antics Jess. You _knew _Rory would go after you. You _knew_ and you didn't care. You didn't care you hurt Mom and Dad. You didn't care that you crushed a little girl's heart. Or did you forget that you promised to spend the whole summer with me?"

Kelly got angrier when Jess didn't respond to her last spat. She slammed her cup onto the counter and was about to leave when he grabbed her arm. "I didn't mean to hurt Rory or Luke or Lorelai or you. You're my little cousin Kel, I'd never intentionally hurt you."

"Well you did." Kelly shook off Jess's hold and started out of the kitchen. She stopped and faced him. "Believe it or not, I used to look up to you Jess. But when I look at you now, I can't believe how stupid I was."

She switched off the light and left Jess in the dark to think about what he had done to the only people that ever gave a damn about him.

* * *

_1985_

"You and Luke seem to be getting rather cozy with each other," Sookie teased. All the girls went to Sookie's after school and now they were in her room talking girl talk.

"I think we're as shocked as you are," Lorelai laughed. "I mean, at first it was going really slow. Now we're making out everywhere."

"I gotta know. Is he a good kisser?" Sarah asked. She laid on her stomach and propped up on her elbows, resting her chin in her hands.

"He's amazing," Lorelai smiled.

"You're like him a lot don't you?" Gypsy accused. "I've never seen someone more starry-eyed over him than you."

"I like him _a lot, a lot_. He makes me feel…alive. He makes me feel so special and…I don't know. He's just amazing."

"So this thing between you and my brother, it's serious?" Liz asked. Lorelai nodded with a smile.

"How serious?" Sarah inquired.

"It's pretty serious. I mean, I see us together for a long time," Lorelai replied.

"Have you two…" Sookie hinted.

"Have we what?"

"Have you…you know." Lorelai raised a brow. "Have you had…sex?" Sookie whispered 'sex.'

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"Maybe one day. If he didn't want to rush our first kiss, I'm sure he isn't going to try to get me into bed anytime soon."

"I'm sorry, but can we please change the subject?" Liz asked. "My brother's sex life isn't at the top of my list of things to talk about."

They all started to laugh and talk about something else, but Lorelai's mind was still on Luke. She was always thinking about him. When she was with him, she couldn't get enough of him. And when they were apart, he occupied her mind. It wasn't much of a surprise to Lorelai when she realized she was falling in love with Luke Danes.

* * *

_Present Day_

"All I'm saying is you could have at least _tried_ to say something to him," Lorelai said.

"Oh believe me, I wanted to. I had a few choice words for him," Luke said.

Lorelai shook her head. "Rory thinks we're mad at her."

"I'm not mad at Rory. Ok, maybe a little. But I'm more angry at Jess."

"Do you think we're overreacting?"

"Hell no. We're giving Jess more attention than he deserves."

"Maybe we are, but there's something you're forgetting."

"What's that?"

"Rory. She still thinks there's some good in him. If you want to break her heart after she tried to do something nice, then go ahead. I, on the other hand, am going to make the best of it."

Luke scratched his head as he walked over to his side of the bed. "He can stay," he sighed.

Lorelai smiled at Luke across the bed. "Thank you."

They both pulled down the covers and were about to get into the bed, but stopped when they realized they were getting in at the same time. "I'm sorry," Luke said, taking a step away from the bed. "You can…go ahead."

"No, no," Lorelai said, also stepping back. "You first."

"Really. You first. I don't know if you've changed your sleeping space…position…whatever."

Lorelai shook her head. "I haven't moved. Do you, uh, still sleep on your side of the bed?"

Luke nodded. "Let's just get in at the same time. I'll stay on my side and you stay on yours."

They got in the bed at the same time, keeping to their sides. They switched off the lights on their night stands. Lorelai was lying on her side with her back to Luke. He was on his back with his head turned toward her. He had a sudden urge to touch her. Not in a dirty way. He just wanted to touch her. He was about to, but felt so foolish he pulled his hand back. He turned his head the other way and closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

Just as he turned his head and fell asleep, Lorelai laid on her back and turned her head toward him. She watched him as he slept. She watched the rise and fall of his chest like she did so many times before. Before things got complicated. Before the accident. Before she cried herself to sleep because he wasn't in the same bed as her. She wanted to touch his face so badly it hurt. It had been so long since she had, she'd forgotten what it felt like. She reached out to touch his face, but as she was about to touch him he turned to his side. She pulled her hand back quickly, cursing herself for the way she was acting. She turned to her side again. They lay with their backs facing each other, so neither of them knew the other was awake. They thought of each other that night, letting the memories of the better days carry them away into a dream state.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Lorelai and Rory are snowed in at the Danes house after having dinner with the family and spend the night. Luke has something VERY important to tell Lorelai. Present Day- Luke calls a truce with Jess and takes him fishing. Lorelai talks to Kelly about the way she's treated Rory the night before._**

**A/N: I forgot someone- rather many people- commented on Luke's maternal grandparents, namely Grandma Lena. I wasn't even thinking of _The Sisterhood_ when I wrote it. It was seriously pure coincidence. Lena's the name of a main character in this story I'm writing. And Dounas is one of my childhood friend's last name. The guy's like a brother to me so I had to represent. Lol. And as for what's going on in this story, you'll find out what happened to make Luke and Lorelai hate Jess in the chapter after the next. After that, I'll be dropping hints about the main story line like crazy. There are some people that have already figured it out, but don't know it. Hahaha. And I'm sorry it took so long to update. I had to pick up extra shifts at work and my friends set me up on a blind date I so graciously refused to go on, but ended up going to because they brought him to my birthday dinner on Friday.**


	19. Let's Talk

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 19- Let's Talk**

Jess lay awake in bed. It was still dark, but his eyes had become adjusted to the darkness and could make out the outline of various objects in the room. He was always awake before the sun was up. It'd become a habit he couldn't break no matter what he did to prevent it. He stayed in bed for a few more minutes until he couldn't take it anymore. He tossed off the covers and headed downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised to see Luke rummaging through the refrigerator, though he knew Luke was always up at four thirty in the morning. Luke turned around when he heard Jess walk in.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep," Jess said as he started to back out of the room. Luke was just staring at him. He didn't look mad, but he didn't look happy either. "I was just gonna…never mind. I'll just go back upstairs. Sorry to bother you…"

"Jess, wait," Luke called. Jess walked back into the kitchen. "You had to have come down here for something."

"Yeah. I, um, couldn't sleep so I was gonna make some…coffee."

Luke rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "That stuff'll kill you."

"Well, that'll be one less burden you've got to deal with."

Luke watched Jess as he made some coffee. "Let's cut to the chase Jess. Why'd you come? I mean, I haven't seen or heard from you in two years."

"Rory asked me to come. She said it was very important that I was here for this. Your party thing that is." There was no use in lying to Luke. He hated him enough already.

"How long have you and Rory been keeping in touch?"

"A year." Luke froze. "She told me about the accident."

"You knew and you still didn't come. You did nothing to let me know you knew. No phone call, no email, no letter. Nothing. I knew you hated me, but I didn't think that much." Luke looked down at his hands and played with his wedding ring. "You don't like me very much and I'm not to fond of you right now, but it's important to Rory that we get along. I wanna call a truce Jess. From this moment until you leave, I say we put everything behind us and try to get along for Rory."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right."

"Well that's a first." Luke held his hand out to Jess. "Truce?"

Jess sighed and shook his uncle's hand. "Truce."

"Good. Now go change."

"Change? For what?"

"Fishing. You can't go like that."

"Fishing? Whoa there. No. I never agreed to fishing. No. I can't fish."

"You want a place to stay for the next week and a half?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Then get your butt upstairs and change. You, me, and Mikey are going fishing. Hurry up. We need to leave in twenty minutes."

* * *

_1985_

Lorelai shut her eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the cold, crisp air. She loved snow. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved to play in and _smell_ the snow. She had decided it was magic when she was four. The snow almost always came with something great. Two months ago it was Rory and Luke. Who knew what today's snow would bring.

"It's freezing out here," Luke groaned as he stepped out onto the porch. He was wearing three layers of shirts and carried his letterman jacket. He draped his letterman on Lorelai's shoulders. "You're going to get sick standing out here."

"I love the snow," Lorelai smiled as she took another breath. "Don't you love the snow Luke?"

"No. What's so appealing about frozen water falling from the sky? What I don't understand is why we're standing outside during a snow storm when it's twenty degrees below zero."

"We're enjoying the snow. Something magical happens when it snows."

"Is it frostbite? If it is, the magic is going to spread to my special place."

"When I was four, my dad was supposed to go on a business trip on Christmas day. There was a snow storm and he couldn't go, so he got to spend Christmas with me and my mom. And it was snowing the day Rory was born." She turned around and smiled at Luke. "It was snowing the day I met you."

Luke smiled. "Ok, so maybe it's not _that_ bad."

Lorelai walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know, it is kinda cold out here."

"Really? Because I think it's starting to heat up." He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her. "Now that's magic."

Suddenly, the door opened and William appeared at the door. "What are you two doing? It's friggin' freezing out there! I'd get the hose, but you two would be stuck like that for hours. Come on in so we can have dinner already."

Luke and Lorelai followed William back into the house. It was Lorelai's only night off this week and Luke insisted she have dinner with him and his family. It was his father's idea really. William loved having Lorelai around because she brought out a side of his son he had never seen. Carrie had come to dinner too to watch Luke. After dinner, Luke helped Lorelai get ready to go back to the inn. They headed to the door and when they opened it a huge gust of the coldest wind either of them ever felt came threw the door. Luke pulled Lorelai close to him and they ran out to his truck as fast as they could. Luke tried starting the car, but it just made a weird noise.

"Luke, I'm not trying to get on your nerves or anything, but do you think you can hurry this up?" Lorelai asked half jokingly as she clutched her jacket- well, Luke's letterman.

"I'm trying here," he sighed. He turned the key again, but nothing happened. "Come on. Start damn it, start!"

"It won't start? Why won't it start?"

"I don't know. Don't move. I'm gonna take a look under the hood."

"Dirty."

Luke rolled his eyes as he got out of the truck and inspected it. Lorelai knew something was wrong when she heard Luke yelling at and kicking the truck. He slammed the hood and got back in. "The engine's frozen."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the engine's frozen. Oh and we're snowed in. The snow's up to my ass out there. So even if I magically unfroze the engine, we wouldn't be able to get three inches out of this spot."

"So what now?"

"Well the first thing we need to do is go back inside the house before we freeze."

Luke and Lorelai got out of the truck and ran back to the house with Rory. Liz was shocked to see Luke and Lorelai in the foyer when she was coming down the stairs. "I thought you were dropping Lorelai off. What happened?" Liz asked.

"We're snowed in," Luke replied simply as he took Rory out of her car seat.

"So what does that mean?"

"Yeah, what _does_ it mean Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"You and Rory will have to spend the night," Luke replied. "It's all we _can_ do."

"Ok. Put Rory in the nursery and I'll kick Carrie out of the guest room and Lorelai," Liz said.

"Ah jeez. I forgot Carrie's here."

"I don't wanna kick her out," Lorelai offered.

"No, it's ok Lorelai," Liz said. "Carrie can stay in my room. It's fine."

"Lorelai can stay in my room. I'll take the couch," Luke said.

"Luke…" Lorelai started to protest, but Luke interrupted her.

"I've crashed on the couch plenty of times. I'll be fine."

"No, Luke. I'm _definitely _not putting _you_ out of your own room."

"Well you're not staying on the couch."

"What do you suppose we do then? Sleep together in the same room?"

"Sure." Liz and Lorelai looked at Luke in shock. "My bed's big enough for two people."

"Wouldn't your dad be mad that I'm sleeping in your room?"

"No."

Lorelai thought about Luke's suggestion for a minute. There so many reasons she wanted to agree, but the same reasons told her to say no. But what other option was there? "I guess…we can share your bed."

"Good. I'm gonna bring Rory to the nursery and you can go ahead and get settled in my room."

Lorelai nodded as Luke headed up the stairs with Rory and the baby bags. Liz descended the staircase and stood beside Lorelai. "Don't worry," Liz said. "Luke's a gentleman. You can trust him to behave himself."

"It's not him I'm worried about. I know I can trust him. I just don't think _I_ can control _myself._"

* * *

_Present Day_

Lorelai woke up early the next day. She was actually up before Luke, but that was the point. She laid in bed beside her husband and watched him sleep. She wasn't even going to pretend to deny she missed having him in their bed. So she woke up before he usually did and watched him as he slept. She quickly pretended to be asleep when he woke up. A pang of loss shot through her body when she felt him get out of the bed, but she was surprised when he placed a hand on her arm and kissed her hair. She wanted to believe that he did that just because that was what he had done for the past twenty years, but she knew it was because he still cared.

Lorelai stayed in bed until she heard Luke, Jess, and Mikey get into his truck and drive off. She finally pulled herself out of bed, tossed her robe on, and headed downstairs. She found Kelly at the kitchen table eating cereal. She spotted the full pot of coffee and headed straight for it. "Good morning," Lorelai greeted with a smile. She pulled a coffee cup out of the cabinet and poured herself some coffee.

"Morning," Kelly said.

Lorelai sat across from Kelly at the table and let out a sigh. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Rory."

"Mom…"

"Kelly, the way you treated your sister last night is unacceptable."

"And? She brought the jerk back into our lives."

"She didn't bring _Jess_ back into our lives. Back to our house and our town, but not our lives. Kelly, why does it bother you that she brought him? You used to adore Jess."

"Used to, as in past tense. Mom, I know you didn't forget what happened two years ago."

"You mean to tell me that you're angry with Rory because of what Jess did two years ago?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know," Kelly replied softly.

Lorelai put her hand over her daughter's. "Kelly, sweetheart, I know you're angry at Jess for what happened and I know you're upset that Rory brought him back. But babe, you can't treat your sister like that. You can't just ignore her. She loves you and it's killing her to think you don't care as much because of a little fight you had."

"I don't hate her. Does she think I hate her?"

"Oh no. Sweetheart, Rory knows you love her. But you know what? I think you should go tell her before she gets depressed."

Kelly sighed. "Alright. Thanks Mom." She hugged her mom.

"Anytime sweetie, anytime.

Lorelai watched as Kelly headed to Rory's room. She thought about what she had told her daughter. _She loves you and it's killing her to think you don't care as much_. She couldn't remember if she still had Rory and Kelly on her mind when she said that to Kelly or if she was thinking about how she was treating Luke.

She retreated back upstairs to her room. She crawled into bed and clutched Luke's pillow, taking in the scent he left behind. God how she had missed him. She wished things would fix themselves. She wished she didn't have to miss him anymore. She wished they could be happy again. She wished they could go back to the way they were. She wished things would go back to the way they were. She wished it would stop hurting. She wished for a thousand other things, but what good was wishing going to do her?

* * *

_1985_

Lorelai stood in the middle of Luke's room and looked around. She hadn't been in there since the barnyard party and she wasn't even sober to take in her surroundings. There was Harvard stuff everywhere, a guitar sat in the corner on it's stand, a small television with a VCR, and various pictures were scattered across the room. After her quick evaluation of the room, Lorelai started to undress. Luke had given her one of his Harvard shirts and a pair of his boxers to sleep in. There was something about being half naked in the middle of Luke's room that Lorelai liked. She stood there in Luke's boxers and her bra for a minute, looking around another time. This time, she spotted something on the night stand. She walked over and picked the picture frame up.

Now, there were two pictures on Luke's night stand. One was of Luke, his parents, and Liz in front of a Christmas tree. And the second was of Luke, Lorelai, and Rory sitting in front of a Christmas tree. She was touched by the fact that Luke had that picture and in a frame, but it was something else to have it sit beside a family portrait.

"Oops," Luke said as he walked into the room. He immediately covered his eyes and turned around. "I'm sorry. I should have knocked first."

Lorelai quickly put the picture down and wiped the tears away. "Don't apologize," she said. "It's your room. You shouldn't have to knock."

"Yeah, but you're…"

Lorelai grabbed the grey shirt and pulled it over her head. "Ok. I put the shirt on. You can turn around and uncover your eyes now."

Luke dropped his hand and turned around. "I was just brushing my teeth and then I stopped at the nursery to check on Rory. She was a little cranky, but I got her to sleep."

"Did you have a hard time?"

"I had to sing a little. You tired?"

"No," Lorelai lied with a yawn.

"Uh huh. Come on. Time for bed." They got into bed and Luke turned out the lights. They lay in the darkness for a while, then Luke broke the silence. "It's an academic scholarship."

"What?" Lorelai yawned.

"My scholarship to Harvard, it's for mathematics and engineering. I told Liz it was for baseball because she makes fun of me about being good with numbers and stuff like that. Ivy league colleges don't give athletic scholarships."

"I know."

"You do?"

"My parents went to Yale."

"They must be mad you're dating a Harvard man." When there was no response, Luke turned his head to see that Lorelai had already fallen asleep. She was on her side, facing him, so he laid on his side and faced her. His face was less and an inch from hers.

"Hey Lorelai," he whispered.

"Hm?" she asked, less than half awake.

"You know how you said that miracles happen when it snows?"

"Mm hm."

"Well, I think you're right."

"Mm hm."

"And I know what the miracle is this time."

"Mm hm."

"Hey Lorelai."

"Hm?"

Luke kissed her lightly on the lips and whispered something in her ear. "I love you."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": The next chapter will spread over a long period of time. It will detail the Danes family's life with Jess. It will be known why they're all angry with him. And there will be at least one hint to what caused the rift between Luke and Lorelai._**

**A/N: It's been a wild and crazy two weeks ladies and gentlemen (are there guys out there reading this?). I apologize for not updating faster, but there was work and school and then I suddenly lost my voice. It was weird, but I'm back. It's gonna take longer for me to update nowadays because of school (:runs around screaming "I'm a college student!" until I run into the nearest wall:), but I'll try not to make it forever. Now, I could have gone a million different directions with the I love you's, but there was just something the one I chose that I really liked. And remeber, take not of the little things because they can be the big clues.**


	20. A Rebel's Story

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 20-A Rebel's Story**

Jess stared out the window as they drove through the small town known as Stars Hollow. He spent the best years of his life in this town, though he'd never admit it to anyone. As Luke drove past Miss Patty's studio, Jess noticed there was a new sign in front about the story hour. It read: "The Luke and Lorelai Story will not be told today. It will continue tomorrow. Today's Story Hour: The Jess Mariano Story". The people of Stars Hollow had an obscured view on the _real_ Jess Mariano story and they didn't want to know what the real story was. Because no matter how you heard it, it'd always end the same. Jess gone, Rory hurt, and Luke and Lorelai mad as hell.

* * *

_**Four years earlier…**_

Jess stared out the window as the bus neared his destination. Stars Hollow. He hadn't been to Stars Hollow since his grandfather died. But now here he was, sitting on a bus taking him back to the small town he didn't even remember living in all because Liz didn't want to handle him anymore. Well, that's how he saw it anyway. He was going to be living with his estranged uncle and his family. He hadn't seen, spoken to, or heard from Luke since he was six. There was the annual birthday card with a twenty dollar check, but that was mostly it.

Then there was "cousin" Rory. His childhood best friend. They did everything together growing up. But when Lorelai had another baby and Rory became big sister, she focused more on baby Kelly than she did Jess. On some level, that made it easier for Jess to move to New York after William died. When he was six, he was hit with the bombshell. He found out his most beloved cousin wasn't his blood cousin. Luke, Lorelai, and Liz didn't think it would make a difference if they were related by blood, but to Jess it made all the difference. He froze out Luke and his family from then on. That is, until now.

The bus pulled up to the stop and Jess headed toward the exit. There was a man, obviously waiting for someone, just outside.

"Jess?" Luke called.

_Great, the lunatic is my uncle,_ Jess thought to himself. "Luke," he said.

"Ok. So, uh, this way…" Luke headed toward the diner and Jess followed. "So, this is my diner."

"Huh."

"It used to be your grandpa's hardware store."

"Hm."

"Yeah." Luke took a deep breath. This kid didn't have much to say. "I have to take care of the diner, but you can leave your bag back here and take a look around town or something."

"Whatever."

Just then, Lorelai ran into the diner. "Coffee!" she shouted. She froze when she saw Jess.

"No coffee for you and I'm glad you're here," Luke said. He walked over to Lorelai and put his arm around her. "Jess, you remember my wife Lorelai."

"Hi," Jess replied.

"Jess, it's so good to see you," Lorelai smiled. "Wow you grew up. I remember when you were just a little baby."

"Hm."

"Hey, you remember you cousin Rory don't you?"

"Yup."

"I bet she'd be real excited to see you. I know she'll be shocked." Luke glared at Lorelai. "I'm sure she'll be glad to show you around town."

"Ok."

The diner was silent. "Ok, well, I have to get back to work and I'm sure Lorelai does to," Luke said, breaking the silence. "I have to make Lorelai lunch so do you want something to eat before you…" Jess walked out of the diner before Luke could finish his sentence. "Go."

* * *

Later that day, Jess returned to the diner a few hours later. Luke let Caesar know he had to go and they headed to the house. Jess didn't even know Luke had moved out of the makeshift apartment above the diner and now he was living in a big house next door to Old Man Twickham. Sookie and Jackson had come over to help prepare dinner. Luke showed Jess to his room and they were getting ready to eat. 

"Honey, do you think you can get Rory?" Lorelai asked. "She's been in her room for hours."

"Yeah, sure," Luke replied. Jess was surprised when Luke knocked on the door connected to the kitchen. "Rory? It's Dad. Can I come in?"

"It's open," Rory yelled from inside her room.

"Hey kido, dinner's ready."

"I'll be out in a minute." Luke nodded and went to join the other adults, leaving the door to Rory's room open. Jess looked around and headed to the room. Rory looked up and smiled when she saw Jess. "Hey, you're here."

"Yup."

Rory hugged Jess, shocking him by her gesture. "It's been what? Ten years?"

"Yup."

"So, how do like Stars Hollow so far?" Jess shrugged as he scanned the books on the bookshelf. "You like to read?" Jess nodded. "Who's your favorite author?" Another shrug.

Suddenly, Lorelai's voice could be heard. "Come on Luke! I'm eating for two people!" she yelled.

"Rory! Jess! Get out here before your mother eats all the food!" Luke yelled. "Lorelai! Put that down! Lor…stop it!"

"Ok Dad, we'll be there in a minute," Rory replied.

"Why do you call him dad?" Jess asked.

"Huh?"

"Luke. Why do you call him dad?"

"Because he's my dad."

"Not biologically."

"He was there. That's all that matters."

"You don't get it. It might be all that matters now, but we'll see how that goes."

* * *

_**Six months later…**_

Jess hated Stars Hollow. He hated Luke's attempts to keep track of him. He hated Luke's nagging. But most of all, he hated his new school. Although things were going fairly well between Jess and Rory, things weren't so hot between Jess and Luke and Lorelai. Of course Luke was more lenient toward Jess, but a man could only be pushed so far.

"Jess!" Luke yelled as he entered the house, slamming the door behind himself. "Jess, get your ass out here now!"

"What's going on? Is something wrong? What'd he do this time?" Lorelai asked as she rushed into the room.

"Jess, where is he?"

"In his room reading. Luke, what's wrong?"

"He's failing. He's going to fail and get held back. And he stole the school's baseballs." He took the stairs two steps at a time. He was moving quickly down the hall toward Jess's room. He pounded furiously on the door. "Jess! Jess, open this door right now!"

The door swung open. "What's your problem?" Jess asked.

"I talked to your principal today. He says you're not going to class. He says your failing your classes. He says you're gonna be held back. He said you stole the school's baseballs!"

"He sure says a lot."

"Don't you care that you're gonna get held back?"

"At least I'll know how what the homework is."

"You can't be serious. Don't you wanna do something with your life? Don't you want to go to college? Rory's going to college. She's going to Harvard."

"Rory this. Rory that. Don't you talk about anything other than your beloved _step-_daughter?"

"At least she has ambitions. Do you even know what you're going to do in ten minutes?"

"Hopefully I'll be far away from you to do it."

"You're getting a tutor. You are going to get your grades up. You are going to move onto the twelfth grade. You are going to return those baseballs! You are going straighten up and get back on track. If you don't, you're out." Luke didn't have anything more to say to Jess. He turned around and headed downstairs.

Once Luke downstairs, the door across from Jess's room opened and Rory stuck her head out. "What are you doing in Kelly's room? Were you spying on me?" Jess asked a little angrily.

"Kelly has my DVD and I was just getting it. I heard Dad yelling and I hid in here," Rory replied. "If you needed a tutor, why didn't you ask me."

"Because I don't want help."

"No, you don't want _my_ help. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you treat me."

"I'm nice to you."

"Yeah, you are. I'm probably the only person you're nice to that you're not related to."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You treat me differently. You don't treat me like family. You treat me like I'm just your uncle's step daughter. Just because I'm not in his bloodline doesn't mean I'm not his daughter. Whereas you, the one that does share DNA with him, treat him like a piece of crap. He was there. He was always there and that's all I care about. I get it Jess. Do you?" Rory headed down the hall.

Jess sighed. "If you tutor me, I'll be nicer to Luke."

Rory faced Jess again. "You promise?" Jess nodded. "You got a deal. Meet me at the diner tomorrow at six. Have your books, a pen, some paper, and your brain." Rory was about to go downstairs, but stopped. "Did you really steal the baseballs?" Jess nodded. "Man you're weird."

* * *

The next night, Luke allowed Rory and Jess to study at the diner where there was no interruptions and no distractions. He and Lorelai tried staying awake for until they got home, but it was a failed attempt. Luke was suddenly awakened by the ring of the telephone. Luke- with his eyes still closed- reached over and searched for the phone. 

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Dad?" Rory's soft voice said on the other end.

Luke opened his eyes and sat up, accidentally waking Lorelai. "Rory?" He glanced at his watch. "Princess, it's nine thirty. you two should have been home half an hour ago."

"I need you to stay calm." Rory took a deep breath. "I'm in the hospital."

Jess didn't mean to crash Rory's car or fracture her arm. It was an accident and Luke knew that, but he didn't know what to do. He found Jess at the bridge. He walked him to the bus station and put him on a bus back to New York. Two weeks later, Jess returned. Luke let Jess back, making absolutely sure he understood things were going to change. But Jess didn't have the chance to talk to Rory. She was already on a plane to Washington DC.

* * *

_**One year later…**_

Jess walked into the kitchen to get himself something to drink. He noticed Kelly at the table doing her homework and tried not to bother her.

"Hey Jess?" Kelly called. She didn't look up from her homework.

"Yeah?" Jess asked.

"You're going to stay right?"

"Stay where?"

"Here. You're not going to leave like you did last year are you?"

"I'm staying right here Kel. Why?"

"Because Rory's gonna go away for a while this summer and Mom and Dad are always busy. I'm not gonna have anyone to hang out with."

Jess sat across the table from his cousin. "Alright. This summer, it's you and me kid."

Kelly looked up at Jess. "What?"

"You heard me. This summer is about you and me. We'll hang out all summer and do a lot of fun stuff. Anything you want, we'll do it. That way we'll both have someone to hang out with."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Kelly got up and gave Jess a hug. "You're the greatest Jess."

"Anytime Kelly. Anytime."

* * *

_You're not going to graduate._ Those were the words repeating over and over in Jess's head. He was having one hell of a week. First he meets his estranged father for the first time in his life. Then he finds out he isn't going to graduate. He tried in the beginning. He really did. But something happened. Jess wasn't even sure what it was, but it stopped him from graduating. 

He liked living closer to his family. He loved spending time with Kelly and Mikey. They adored him and he liked being adored. He and Rory were friends again. He had a good life going in Stars Hollow and it was all going to end right now. He made a deal with Luke. He was supposed to keep up with his grades. He was supposed to graduate, but he wasn't. He was a failure. To Liz. To Luke and Lorelai. To Rory. To himself.

He needed to get out of there. He needed to leave. He knew he would hate himself for what he was about to do, but hat more could he lose if he had nothing left?

* * *

"He's gone!" Rory yelled as she ran into the diner. Luke and Lorelai looked up. "Did you hear me? I said he's gone!" 

"Who's gone?" Lorelai asked.

"Jess! Lane says he wasn't at school and all his stuff is gone. How could he just leave?"

"Luke, what if he's hurt?" Lorelai asked, generally concerned.

"We'll go find him. I'll get Liz's number and ask her for his friends' numbers. Hopefully he went to one of their houses or something," Luke said. He put his hands on Rory's shoulders. "We're gonna find him. It's gonna be ok."

Rory nodded and Luke went upstairs to get Liz's number. When he opened the door to the upstairs apartment, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The safe was wide open. No. Jess couldn't…he wouldn't…Luke slowly walked toward the open safe and squatted down to look inside. He couldn't believe it. Jess did the unthinkable. Lorelai arrived in time to see Luke looking through the various papers that he kept in the safe.

"He took it all," Luke said lowly.

"What?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

"Jess took it all. He took everything. He cleaned out the safe. The savings bonds, the extra cash we've been putting aside for that minivan, anything with a cash value- he took it all."

Lorelai wanted to reassure her husband. She wanted to tell him someone else had broken into their safe and taken everything they had worked so hard for over the years, but she knew it wasn't true. It had been Jess. God knows why, but Jess had been the one that cleaned them out. And to think, she was actually starting to like this guy. Now she just wanted to tear his head off.

"We can't tell Rory," was all Lorelai said.

Luke nodded and put the documents back into the safe. He walked over to her and she wrapped her arms around him. "I thought he was doing better," he sighed.

"We all did."

* * *

_**One week later…**_

It had only been half an hour since Rory officially graduated from Chilton. She had never seen her family happier. They had all cried. Even Luke. She'd never seen him cry before and hoped Sookie got a picture of him all teary-eyed. She was in the middle of taking pictures with her family- and even one with Paris- when her cell phone began to ring. She looked at the caller ID.

"I have to take this," she said. She stepped aside and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey," he greeted. "I remembered you're graduating today so I wanted to say congratulations."

"Thanks." They were silent for a minute. "We've been worried about you. Where are you?" Silence. "Jess…"

"I gotta go."

"Jess don't. Please. Just…" Click. Rory sighed. She was about to put her cell phone away when she came up with an idea. She ran into the newsroom and turned on one of the computers. If Jess wasn't going to tell her where he was, she was going to find out herself.

* * *

Rory stood in the doorway to the livingroom, watching her parents from behind as she clutched the pieces of paper in her hands. They turned around when they realized Rory was in the room. 

"Can I talk to you guys?" Rory asked.

Luke turned the TV off. "Is everything ok?" he asked.

Rory shook her head and stood in front of her parents. "I need to go to California."

"Ok. Maybe we'll go in a few weeks," Lorelai said.

"No. I need to go as soon as possible. Like tomorrow. And I need to go by myself." Luke and Lorelai looked at each other and then back at Rory. "I found Jess. He called me and I traced the phone number and I found him. Now I need to go get him. Please, I just need you to understand. I have to do this."

Luke and Lorelai remained quiet, worrying Rory. Suddenly, Lorelai stood up. "I'll go get the luggage out," she said. Rory could hear the hurt and disappointment in her mother's voice, but she knew she understood.

Luke remained on the couch. Rory couldn't tell what he was thinking. He always was a hard man to read. Finally Luke stood, but refused to look at Rory.

"Dad…" Rory tried to explain.

"I'm not going to pretend I like the idea of you going to California to look for him, but I'm not going to stop you," Luke said. "I'm going to make sure the car is ok for you to drive."

* * *

Rory stood outside a two story house surrounded by a wooden fence. She slowly headed to the gate where about a dozen dogs ran to bark at her. Rory took a few steps back. 

"Can I help you?" a woman asked from the roof of the house.

"I'm looking for Jess Mariano," Rory replied. "Is he here?"

"Who are you?"

"A friend."

"Hold on." A minute later, the woman came walking toward the gate. "He's inside."

"Thanks." Rory followed the woman into the house, trying to stay away from the dogs.

"Jess, you got a visitor." Jess walked into the room and froze when he saw Rory.

"Thought you could get away huh?" she joked.

* * *

"That guy that walked into the diner a two weeks ago and didn't order anything, it was Jimmy," Jess explained. "I tracked him down and well, here I am." 

"So you left to see your dad?" Rory asked. "Jess, I'm sure they would have understood. You didn't have to take off…"

"I didn't leave because of Jimmy."

"You didn't?"

Jess shook his head. "I wasn't going to graduate. The school said there was nothing for me to do but repeat my senior year. I couldn't do that. I couldn't not graduate. I failed. I couldn't face Luke with that news. He was pulling for me so bad and I let him down."

"We were all rooting for you Jess. It doesn't matter to us if you have to repeat your senior year."

"It matters to me." Jess pushed out of his seat and headed for the counter. "Then I had to go and make things worse."

"Sure, running away was a bad idea, but like I said, Mom and Dad will understand. Just come back with me and we'll explain the whole not graduating thing to them. Everything will be fine."

He stared at her for a minute before it hit him. "They didn't tell you did they?"

"Tell me what?"

"Rory, you need to go home. Right now."

Rory stood. "Jess, what are you not telling me? What didn't they tell me?"

"Damn it Rory! Would you just get in your car and go back to Connecticut?"

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want you to hate me. Please. Just go."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Jess sighed. "How long you planning on staying?"

* * *

_**One year later… **_

Rory had stayed in California for a month the summer before she went to Yale and when she left, Jess told her why he couldn't go back to Stars Hollow in a letter. He said he was sorry that he had taken the money in the first place, but was desperate to get out of that town and he had nothing. He said he'd understand if she never wanted to speak to him again. It was about two months ago when she ran into him in New York. They met up three or four times a week and talked on the phone everyday. Rory didn't tell Luke and Lorelai in fear of their reaction. She may have forgiven him for the past, but they hadn't and probably never will.

She needed him today more than ever. So she picked up the phone and called him.

"Hello?" Jess answered.

"Jess?" Rory sniffled. "It's Rory. I really need you right now."

"Rory, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Mom and Dad just called me. They were in an accident."

"Are they ok?"

Rory tried not to cry, but it was getting harder not to so she stopped trying. "Can you please come? I really need someone right now."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Jess shook the memories from his head. He looked at little Mikey fighting sleep beside him. Thank God he and Kelly hadn't been in the car that night. He didn't know if he could handle it if he had lost them too. Jess looked toward Luke. He noticed he gripped the wheel as he drove and his hand twitched a little when another car would zoom past him.

They arrived at the fishing hole and they all got out of the truck. "Help me bring this stuff over there," Luke said as he started to take the equipment out of the back of the truck.

"Sure," Jess said. He took some of the gear and set it up beside the lake. Once they were all set up, they cast their lines. After a few moments of silence, Jess turned Luke. "Hey Luke?"

"What?" Luke asked.

Jess pulled an envelope from his back pocket and held it out to Luke. "This belongs to you." Luke hesitantly took the envelope and looked inside it. He couldn't believe what it was. "It's all there. Every last penny. I shouldn't have taken it in the first place."

Luke nodded and put the money away. "Thank you."

"Um hm." Jess cast his line again and smiled quickly. He may not have fixed everything, but it was a start.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": 1985- Jackson asks Sookie out on a date. Luke and Lorelai double date with Jackson and Sookie. Present Day- Luke and Lorelai continue to get along. When Jess wanders into a part of the house (the "forbidden territory"), Luke lashes out at him. _**

**A/N: I hope you've enjoyed this extremely long chapter. Haha. Ok, so I made a slight miscalculation. I was a year off on the whole Jess thing, but all is well and fixed. I said I was gonna drop one hint, but I thought I'd be nice and I dropped like three. All is not clear, but it should be getting there. If you have no clue what's going on, do the math (there goes _another_ hint! Think four and eight). The big answer is coming. Can you sense it? Can you feel it? Can you handle the wait? Probably not, but you'll have to.**


	21. Betty Crocker and Mr Mom

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 21- Betty Crocker and Mr. Mom**

_**1985**_

"That was some crazy snow storm last night wasn't it?" Sookie asked as she opened her locker.

"Yeah," Sarah replied. She turned to Lorelai. "Didn't you have dinner at the Danes' last night?"

"Yup. We got snowed in just as Luke was gonna bring me and Rory home," Lorelai replied. "We had no other choice but to spend the night there."

Sookie started to jump up and down excitedly. "Did you two…you know," she asked suggestively.

Lorelai laughed. "No. We didn't 'you know'. But something better happened."

"What's better than sex?" Sarah joked.

"Luke told me he loves me," Lorelai smiled. "And I told him I love him too."

Sookie and Sarah started to squeal. "That's so exciting! Oh you two look so great together. Oh! The babies! Your babies are going to be beautiful!"

"Oh! Lorelai's eyes with Luke's smile. They'll be gorgeous!" Sarah added.

"Whoa there Miss Patty and Babette! Where did all these babies come from?" Lorelai asked.

"Sorry," Sookie laughed. "We're just happy for you!"

"So am I." They started to jump up and down excitedly until they saw Luke, Kevin, and Jackson heading down the hall toward them.

Luke grinned as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hi," he greeted Lorelai.

"Hey," Lorelai smiled back in the same love-struck tone.

Luke noticed that Sarah and Sookie were staring at him with big smiles on their faces. "Hey Sarah, hey Sookie," he greeted with a laughed.

"Hey Luke," Sookie said, lingering on the word 'hey.'

Luke laughed again as he put his arm around Lorelai. "Yeah. Jackson, you're gonna wanna talk to her before she completely loses her mind." Lorelai playfully pushed Luke.

"Talk to me?" Sookie asked seriously. "About what?"

"Well, uh, I, um, sorta wanted to ask you…out," Jackson stuttered.

"Out where?"

"On a date."

"On a date?" Jackson nodded. "Oh. Um, ok."

"Ok. Where should we go?"

"I don't know. Where do you wanna go?"

"I don't know. Where do you wanna go?"

"Ok, you're not even dating yet and you're already making me nocuous," Kevin joked.

"Luke and I are gonna see a movie tomorrow night," Lorelai remarked. "Why don't you guys come with us?"

"These two were supposed to tag along but they backed out," Luke teased.

"Yeah, well happy Luke makes me even more nocuous," Kevin remarked.

"Yeah?" Luke asked. When Kevin nodded, Luke elbowed him in the stomach sending his friend to the ground. "How do you feel now smart ass?"

"Ah! Damn it!" Kevin groaned as he clutched his stomach. "I hate you! I think you cracked a rib."

"Oh cry me a river."

"Luke! I think you hurt him," Lorelai scolded.

"He's just being dramatic. Get up Kevin."

"I think a movie would be great," Sookie said.

"Really?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah."

"Ok. We'll see a movie with you guys tomorrow."

"Great. Met us at the BWR Theater at seven," Lorelai said. She looked down at Kevin who was still on the ground. "Is he ok?"

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai stared at the groceries that filled her trunk. She only meant to buy some water for her and Luke and juice for the kids, but she kept remembering that they needed this and that. One thing led to another and she ended up with a trunk full of groceries of food she couldn't cook. She blamed this on Luke. He had to cook for the family every night. Why couldn't he just be a normal nine to five dad and bring home fast food?

_Then he wouldn't be Luke_, Lorelai told herself.

Luke was a good father and wanted his kids to live long healthy lives and made them meals so he knew what was put in it. Lorelai sighed and started to unload the bags.

"Want some help with that?" Luke asked as he walked up from behind her, making her jump in surprise. She put her hand on her chest and he tried to contain a laugh. "Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"No, I just thought I'd say the pledge of allegiance," Lorelai said sarcastically.

"How patriotic of you."

"Yeah. I'm joining the Marines tomorrow." Luke pretended to salute her. She laughed and playfully slapped his arm. "Very funny."

"A regular Ashton Kutcher." Lorelai shook her head. "Here, let me get some of those for you."

"Thanks."

She handed him as many bags as his arms could carry, which surprisingly was almost all of them. She grabbed the remaining bags and headed for the door. Luke put his bags down to unlock the door and hold it open for Lorelai. "What's with all the groceries Betty Crocker?" he teased as they walked into the kitchen.

"I had to restock our refrigerator because you have to be Mr. Mom and cook for us every night," she joked. "So what are you doing home from work so early?"

"The diner was pretty much dead, so I took off."

"Wow."

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just not like you to just take off from work."

"What are you talking about? I used to do it all the time."

"Oh yeah? When?"

"When we first got married."

"Luke, our honeymoon doesn't count."

Luke laughed. "Ok, I give up. But I do take time off from work."

"That's not giving up," Lorelai teased. "And I know."

"Good." She was trying to put something away, but it had to go on a high shelf and she couldn't reach it. "Here. I'll get that." He walked over to her and put the item away.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Luke smiled at Lorelai. He hadn't realized how close they were until their eyes met. They held each other's gaze for a while, until Luke finally looked away and took a step back. "Uh, I noticed the showerhead in our bathroom was loose so I fixed that."

"Oh. Thanks."

"And don't forget your car is due for a tune up."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll bring it to Gypsy's."

"I can take a look at it. I can probably to do everything on it so you can save a couple bucks."

"That'd be great. Thank you Luke."

"I'm glad to help. Oh, and I screwed up a batch of brownies earlier."

"Ok. I'm sorry," Lorelai laughed.

"I brought them home," Luke explained with a chuckle. "I thought you'd like them since you have an iron stomach. They're out in the truck. I'll go get them for you."

As Luke left to get the brownies, Lorelai wondered why he was being so nice and helpful. It wasn't like the kids were around. They didn't have to pretend. They could just ignore each other like they usually did. They could yell and argue and tell each other to go to hell. There was only one thing that came to Lorelai's mind. _Then it wouldn't be Luke.

* * *

_

_**1985**_

Jackson and Sookie sat three rows behind Luke and Lorelai. Neither of the couples were watching the movie being shown. Luke and Lorelai were too busy making out and Jackson and Sookie couldn't stop watching them for some reason.

"Don't they need to breathe?" Sookie whispered to Jackson.

"Maybe they figured out an alternative," he whispered back. "Good Lord. It looks like they're eating each other."

"Gross. That'd make a great movie though."

"Yeah because cannibalism is such a great subject."

"You never know. But if it ever does become a movie, we should try to avoid seeing it."

"We? Who's we?"

"You and me silly."

"You mean you'd wanna see another movie with me?"

"Sure. Especially since we're not even watching this one."

"What _are_ we watching anyway?"

"Luke and Lorelai?"

"The movie."

"I don't know. We got in free because Kirk is the ticket guy remember?"

Jackson laughed. "Maybe we should have checked before we walked in."

"Would it have made a difference?"

"I may have sprung for the Milk Duds."

"I'll remember that for next time."

"Yeah. Next time."

After the movie, Jackson and Sookie met Luke and Lorelai outside the theater and the four of them walked to Antonioli's.

"That's disgusting," Luke remarked as Lorelai took a bite of another slice of pizza. "How could you eat that crap?"

"You see, you pick the pizza up, bring it to your mouth, and then you…" Lorelai said.

"I know how to eat a pizza. What I don't understand is how you can eat so much of it. It's not very good for you."

"Aw, you're concerned about my health. Sookie, did you hear him?"

"Yes," Sookie replied. "It's so adorable."

"Now wait a minute," Luke interrupted. "I don't do adorable."

"Dude, it was kinda cutesy," Jackson remarked.

"Words like adorable and cutesy do not apply to me or anything I say and or do."

"He's so cute when he's mad," Lorelai teased.

"Ah jeez." Luke rolled his eyes. "I don't understand you."

"Yeah, but you still love me."

Luke smiled. "Yes I do." He had intended to place a quick kiss on her lips, but that never seemed to be enough for them. They didn't pull apart until Sookie cleared her throat.

"You guys look so happy together," Sookie smiled.

"We are," Lorelai smiled as she leaned into Luke's chest.

"How are you guys working next fall out?" Jackson asked.

"What's next fall?" Luke asked.

"Harvard," Sookie replied.

The smiles on Luke and Lorelai's faces began to fade. They never discussed what would happen in a few months when Luke left to go to college. To be honest, they had totally forgotten about it until that very moment.

"You know it's getting kinda late. Maybe we should call it a night," Jackson said, sensing the change in atmosphere.

"I think that's a good idea," Luke agreed. He didn't look up at the other couple. "Come on Lorelai, I'll walk you home. We'll see you guys tomorrow."

Luke and Lorelai stood. "Bye guys," Lorelai said, waving to her friends before leaving with Luke.

"They haven't even thought about Luke leaving have they?" Sookie asked.

"Nope," Jackson sighed.

"We put them in a very awkward position didn't we?"

"Yup."

"We probably shouldn't have brought it up."

"Probably."

Sookie sighed. "Man this sucks."

"You said it," Jackson sighed as he leaned back. Damn, and things were going so well.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Jess let out a breath as he headed down the hall toward his room. He was bored. Everyone was out doing something and he was stuck at home because he didn't know anyone in town. Well, anyone that would hang out with him without an ulterior motive to kill him. The only person that was actually going to put up with him was Rory and she was with Lane and Lane hated him.

Jess was half way down the hall when he passed a room he hadn't been in. The door was never open and no one ever went inside. They all acted as if it wasn't there at all. Jess knew what the room had once been and it was probably why everyone avoided it. But he wondered what was inside the room now. He knew he shouldn't have gone in the room. Luke and Lorelai would be pissed, but curiosity got the best of him and Luke and Lorelai weren't home.

Jess grabbed the door knob and stood there for a while, half expecting an alarm to go off. There were no sirens or alarms going off so he turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. He couldn't believe his eyes as he walked into the room. His heart began to race. He didn't know why, but he was completely surprised by what he saw. He was so shocked, he didn't hear someone enter the house and walk up the stairs until it was too late.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Luke growled.

Jess whipped around. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I…um…" he stuttered.

"Get out of there right now!" Luke voice boomed so loudly, Jess swore the house was shaking. He immediately ran out of the room. Luke shut the door and headed toward Jess. "What were you doing in there?"

"Nothing."

"Why did you go in there?"

"I…I don't know."

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

"I'm sorry! I was just…"

"Just what? You were just what?"

"I was curious."

"You don't care do you? You don't care about anything or anyone but yourself. You didn't care that you were ruining your life. You didn't care that my wife and I took you in when it was difficult for us. You didn't care that you put this family through a lot of crap when you ran away. You didn't care about the accident."

"What did you expect me to do? You hated me!"

"You couldn't come when the family needed you to be here, but you came when Rory asked you to." Luke shook his head.

Jess could hear someone coming up the stairs. It was Lorelai. "What's wrong?" she asked as she headed down the hall. "I got home heard yelling."

"I knew you had a thing for Rory," Luke accused Jess.

"What?"

"I knew you had a thing for Rory. You knew there was nothing wrong with it because she's not related to you by blood. What bothers me the most is that you knew she had a thing for you too, but as long as Lorelai and I were married there wasn't a damn thing you could do." Jess looked away. Luke was right. "You are to stay out of that room or so help me God, I will kill you. Do you understand me Jess?"

Jess nodded. Luke turned and headed back downstairs. Lorelai let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at Jess with disappointment.

"I didn't know," Jess said.

"Well now you do," Lorelai said unemotionally. She shook her head. "And to think, he was actually starting to warm up to you."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": 1985- Kevin's bad mood continues to get worse. Luke asks Lorelai to prom. Present Day- When Lorelai claims to be sick, Luke stays home to take care of her- yet again bringing them closer._**

**A/N: I'm so proud of you guys! Almost all of you have figured out what happened! Maybe not the full story behind it (which will come up soon and I mean _soon_), but you've got the gist of it. I've got some extra scenes from this chapter and I'm gonna put them up on my site so go one ahead and check them out. Let me know if you would have prefered those over what you've got. And again, I shamelessly plea with you good people to join the roleplay.**


	22. A Picture PErfect Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**Chapter 22- A Picture Perfect Family**

_**Present Day**_

Luke groaned as the alarm clock went off. His fist came crashing down on the fuzzy blue thing purring at him, putting it out of it's misery of being another of Lorelai Danes's fads. He felt oddly comfortable last night, but he couldn't remember why. He opened his eyes to see Lorelai was laying _very _close to him. She was on her side facing him and her arm was unconsciously draped across his lower half. He smiled. Oh yeah. That's why.

He would have loved to stay in that bed with Lorelai all day, but he had to get to work. He removed her arm and got out of bed. He took a quick shower and got ready. He was nearly done dressing when Lorelai stirred in her sleep and then woke up.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey," she greeted back sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Four fifty." Lorelai groaned and pulled the bed sheets over her head. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No," Lorelai's muffled voice replied.

"I'll be outta here in a minute. Go back to sleep."

She pulled the covers down. "I'll try."

"You want me to make a pot of coffee before I leave?"

"You don't have to."

"What time are you going to work?"

"You're really helping with the sleeping thing."

Luke threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry. Just asking."

Lorelai sighed. "I'm not really feeling well so I don't think I'm going to go in today."

"Not feeling well? Are you ok? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

"No," she said quickly. "You don't have to do that. It's probably just a cold."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Luke nodded and picked up the phone. "Luke, I said I was fine. What are you…"

Luke held up his hand to silence her. "Caesar, it's Luke. Did I wake you up? Ok good. Hey I'm not gonna be able to come in today. Yeah. Lorelai's sick and I wanna make sure she's ok. Ok. Ok. Thanks. I'll talk to you later. Alright. Bye."

"What did you just do? Pick that phone up and call Caesar back. Tell him you're going to work."

"Lorelai, you're sick. No one's going to be here to take care of you and I can't just leave you here alone. If I go to work, Sookie's gonna come over to take care of you. Then you're going to have to explain to her why your husband isn't at home taking care of you." Lorelai let out a sigh, realizing he was right. "Good. I'm gonna go downstairs and make you breakfast."

Lorelai pulled the sheets closer to her body as Luke left the room. Well, that plan just backfired.

* * *

_**1985**_

Luke headed to his locker in the locker room with a towel around his waist and one draped across his shoulders. He always waited for the other players to shower and leave before showering himself. He was surprised to see Kevin was still there. He was sitting on the bench in front of his locker, staring at a piece of paper.

"Whatcha got there?" Luke asked.

Kevin looked up at Luke as he put the letter in his pocket. "None of your business," he replied.

"I was just asking. No need to bite my head off." Luke opened his locker and started to dress. "I thought you left already."

"I didn't."

Luke opened his locker and started to get dressed. "You ok?"

"I'm fine."

Luke pulled on his pants and his shirt. "You were a little off out there today."

"I'm fine."

"You seemed…"

"I said I'm fine," Kevin snapped.

"Jeez, I'm sorry. I was just concerned."

"Well, don't be."

"Fine. I'll see you later." Luke gathered his things and headed for the door.

Kevin sighed and called out to his friend. "Luke, wait." Luke faced his friend. "I'm sorry."

"What's going on Kev?" Kevin didn't reply. "Kev, it's me. You know you can tell me anything."

Kevin stood up and grabbed his stuff. "It's none of your business Luke. So back off."

Luke grabbed Kevin's arm as he tried to leave. "What the hell is wrong with you? You've been acting like a jerk lately."

"If I'm such a jerk, why are you still hanging out with me?"

"Because you're my best friend. This is what friends do Kevin. They're concerned about their friends and try to help."

"Well don't." Kevin shook Luke's grip off. "Like I said. It's none of your business. Why don't you go take care of your girlfriend and her kid?" With that, Kevin left a confused and angry Luke behind in the locker room.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai was sitting up in the bed flipping through the channels in search for something interesting on when Luke walked in. "Hey, how you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," Lorelai replied as she turned off the TV. "The soup was great," she added, pointing to the empty bowl on the food tray beside her.

"Thanks. I brought you some ginger ale for your stomach." He held out the glass to her.

"Oh, thanks."

"You're welcome. I was thinking of checking on the diner. I wanted to make sure you're gonna be ok by yourself."

"I'm a big girl Luke. I think I'll be fine."

"Alright. So I'm gonna go. I''ll be back in a while."

"How long's a while?"

"An hour, two tops."

"Ok, I'll see you when you get back then."

"Yeah. Drink that ginger ale. It'll settle your stomach."

"I will. And thank you."

Luke nodded and left the room, taking the empty food tray with him. When she was sure he was gone, Lorelai hopped out of bed and changed. She only had an hour before Luke came back and she didn't want him to come home to an empty house. Before running out of the house, Lorelai drank her ginger ale. After all, she _did_ promise Luke she would.

* * *

_**1984**_

Luke waited in the dining room at the Independence Inn for Lorelai. She had to work tonight so they were having dinner at the inn.

"Lucas," Mia called.

Luke turned around to see Mia walking into the dining room carrying Rory. "Hey Mia," Luke greeted with a smile. He stood and gave Mia a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at the baby in her arms. "I see you brought someone with you."

"This little girl has been dying to see you all day." Mia handed Luke Rory. Rory immediately started to giggle.

"Hey there princess. I missed you today. Did you miss me too? Huh? Yes you did. Yeah."

Mia smiled as she watched Luke interact with his girlfriend's daughter. "You're really taking to her aren't you?"

"Of course. How could you not love a face like this? She's my little princess. Aren't you princess?"

"You keep calling her princess and spoiling her like you do, she's going to grow up thinking she is a princess. She's going to have you wrapped around her little finger."

"Not Rory. This one's going to know her boundaries. She's going to be a good girl."

"So you plan on being in her life for a long time?"

"I plan on being there every step of the way."

Just then, Lorelai walked into the dining room. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "Turn down service took a little longer than I thought. Hey babe." She kissed Luke, then Rory on the top of the head.

"Hey. And don't apologize. I haven't been here long."

"Now you three look like a picture perfect family," Mia remarked with a bright smile. Luke and Lorelai looked at each other, then back at Mia. She didn't give them a chance to say anything. She just spoke up again. "Well, I better get back to work. I'll take the little one with me and you two can enjoy your dinner." Mia took Rory from Luke and went back to the front desk.

The couple sat down. "When did we become the picture perfect family?" Luke joked.

"Today I guess," Lorelai laughed. "I hope you plan to put a ring on this finger mister." Luke's expression turned serious and Lorelai regretted what she said. "Oh no, Luke. I was joking. I didn't mean…I'm not telling you to…Oh God. This is going bad."

Luke laughed. "It's ok. I know you were kidding. Hey, what are you doing on May third?"

"Jeez Luke, I don't know. I'll have to check if I planned to do something in _three months_."

"Well I don't know. There's no need to be sarcastic. You might have had some family party planned or something." Lorelai just stared at her boyfriend. "Ok," he laughed. "My mistake."

"What's so special about May third?"

"Well, it's, um, prom."

"Prom?"

"Yeah. I usually don't go to these things, but I thought…I don't know. It's my senior year and maybe you'd wanna go…with me."

A smile spread across Lorelai's face. "You're asking me to prom?"

"You make fun of me and we'll spend that night sitting on my couch watching a really boring movie eating stale popcorn."

"I'm not making fun of you."

"Good. So…is that a yes?"

"It's a yes."

"Good. Ah jeez."

"What?"

"I just realized I'm gonna have to get a tux now."

Lorelai laughed. "There's no pleasing you is there Luke Danes?"

* * *

**_Present Day_**

Lorelai hurried out the house and glanced at her watch as she headed down the street. She had less then half an hour now. To some that seemed like enough time, but they probably weren't lying to their husbands about being sick. She moved fast and took the alternate route to where she needed to be. Partially because she was pressed for time and partially because she didn't want anyone to see her. There didn't seem to be anyone else there. _Good_, she thought to herself. _Now I won't have to deal with them tomorrow._ She made her way across the lawn. She froze when she saw a familiar figure, crouching down. Slowly, she made her way over.

"Hey," she said softly.

Luke turned his head and looked up at Lorelai. "Hi," he replied in the same manner.

"I thought you were at the diner."

"I thought you were sick."

Lorelai looked away and nodded. "When did you change?"

"When I went to the diner."

"So you really did go to the diner." Luke nodded. "Guess we had the same idea."

"Yeah." Luke stood up and stepped back so he stood beside his wife. "I didn't want people mobbing me tomorrow, so I thought…"

"Me too." Lorelai took a deep breath and tried to hold back the tears. "I can't believe it's been a year already."

"Neither can I." They stood in silence for a few more minutes.

"Luke," Lorelai called softly, her voice strained.

"Yeah?"

"I want to go home now."

Luke nodded and put his arm around her as he led her back to his truck. He took one last look over his shoulder at the tombstone that marked his misery.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the master bedroom to find Luke sitting on the edge of the bed while he spoke on the phone. 

"Yeah," Luke said into the phone. "Yeah. I just don't want her driving this late. Especially if she thinks something's wrong. She'll be a demon on the road. Everything's fine. Yes I'm sure. So it's ok if they spend the night there? Even Jess? Lock the liquor cabinet then. And hide anything valuable you wouldn't notice him carrying out. And lock him in his room. Yeah…sure…a joke. Well I have to get going now. Thanks again Richard. I will. Ok. Good bye."

Luke put down the phone and looked up at Lorelai. "The kids are going to spend the night at your parents' house," he said.

"I figured that," Lorelai said. "Hey Luke, I'm really sorry about lying to you about being sick."

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't do that Luke. Don't act like I didn't do something wrong."

"Lorelai, you wanted your privacy. Besides, I wasn't exactly very truthful either."

"You stayed home to take care of me and I wasn't even sick."

"Let's not argue ok? Not…not tonight."

Lorelai nodded. "I'm getting kinda tired anyway."

"Oh. Ok." Luke stood up and got ready to leave the room. "I'll go sleep in the guestroom since Jess isn't here."

"No. You take the bed. I lied to you. You deserve the bed for everything you've done for me."

"Lorelai…"

"Please Luke. I feel really bad. Just take this room and I'll sleep in Rory's room."

Luke sighed. "Alright. I'll take this room."

"Ok. Um, good night."

"Night."

Two hours later, when the house was dark and silent, Lorelai crept out of Rory's room and made her way upstairs as quietly as she could. She stopped at the door down the hall from the one she and Luke shared. The same room Jess had been yelled at for going near. Lorelai took a deep breath and opened the door. She could feel her heart break when she stepped inside. The pain of their loss still stung. She looked around at her surroundings and her heart broke a little more. She didn't know she had started to cry until a tear hit her hand. She ran out of the door and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it as she cried. She wiped the tears away and headed down the hall to her and Luke's room.

Inside the room, Luke had finally gotten to sleep after an hour and a half of painful memories running through his mind. He had been jolted out of that peaceful sleep when he heard a consistent knock at the door. He pulled himself out of bed and opened the door.

"Lorelai?" he asked sleepily. He was still half asleep so it took him a while before he realized Lorelai was cry. "Lorelai? What's wrong?"

"I need you Luke," she cried as she threw her arms around him.

Luke held her as she cried. "It's gonna be ok Lorelai."

After a minute of holding each other, Lorelai pulled away and looked up at her husband. Suddenly, surprising both Luke and herself, she gently grabbed his face and kissed his softly and passionately on the lips.

"I need to be with my husband tonight," she said almost in a whisper.

Luke just nodded and let her into the room. He was about to close the door when he noticed the light under a certain door across the hall. Now he knew what Lorelai was crying about. Why she had come to him. It was the same thing that kept him up for so many nights. It was the same reason he slept in the room on the very opposite side of the hall. The reason he had lied to Lorelai and why she lied to him. There was one last thing that passed through Luke's mind before he closed the door to be with his wife. It was the words he had been staring at earlier:

_Peace to Our Little Boy  
__Daniel Vincent Danes  
__2001-2004

* * *

_

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": We'll be backtracking in the next chapter. It follows the life and the unfortunate death of Daniel "Danny" Danes. You'll find out about "the accident", why it was so devastating to the couple, and why things are the way they are between Luke and Lorelai. I warn you right now. It's going to be a very sad chapter so get some tissue ready._**

**A/N: I made a lot of changes from the original version of the chapter. So, I'll put those up on my site when I get the chance. I don't really have a lot to say. With an ending like that, it just doesn't seem right to have a witty comment. So all I ask is that you review. Thank you and God Bless.**


	23. In Loving Memory

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...**

**_This chapter is dedicated to all those who have lost someone they love._**

**Chapter 23- In Loving Memory**

_**Four and a half years earlier…**_

Luke jumped out of his truck and ran into the house. "Lorelai!" he called, tossing his jacket over the edge of the couch. "Lorelai, where are you?"

"Up here!" Lorelai replied from upstairs.

Luke took the stairs two by two and nearly fell when he ran down the hall to his and Lorelai's bedroom. "Did you do it already?"

"Yeah. We should find out in a minute."

"Do you think you are? I mean, do you feel different or something?"

"Your questions are making me anxious."

"I'm sorry. I'm just excited."

Lorelai smiled and kissed Luke. "So am I." The timer beside the bed went off. "Ok. It's time. Do you wanna check it with me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go find out." Luke followed Lorelai to the bathroom. They looked down at the pregnancy test sitting on the counter. "Ok, what am I looking at? What's it mean?"

"It means I'm not pregnant," Lorelai sighed as she headed back to the main room.

Luke and Lorelai had been trying to have another baby for two and a half years now. But for some reason, they weren't having much luck. And when they did happen to conceive, Lorelai unfortunately couldn't hold the pregnancy to term. In the past two and a half years, Lorelai had four miscarriages. The third month usually marked the disastrous event. It wasn't the first time they had trouble having a baby. It took five years, nearly ten false alarms, and three miscarriages before Luke and Lorelai had Katie. Before Mikey, Lorelai miscarried five times. With over twelve failed pregnancies, Lorelai was ready to give up on the idea of another child. But Luke was determined to give Lorelai what she wanted.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked as he kept staring at the stick.

"Luke, the results aren't going to change."

"I know, but are you sure? I mean, these things aren't always reliable. It could be wrong."

"Luke, give it up. I'm not pregnant. Maybe it's a sign."

"Now don't start talking like that again."

"Twelve miscarriages Luke. _Twelve_."

"Thanks for reminding me of the statistic. I almost forgot."

"God's telling us to be happy with Rory, Kelly, and Mikey."

"Why can't God be telling us to try harder?"

"Luke…"

"You want another baby and we're going to have one. Now, are you sure about this thing?"

"Yes," Lorelai sighed. "It says right here on the box. One line you're not pregnant. Two you are."

"Lorelai."

"What?"

"There's two."

"What?"

"There's two. There's two lines."

"Luke, you're not funny."

"Lorelai, when have I ever been funny? I'm serious. There's two lines."

Lorelai stood up and walked over to the counter. "Luke, I was just looking at it and there clearly was…" She trailed off when she saw the second solid blue line. "Oh my God. There's two lines!"

"So you're pregnant? We're having another baby?" Unable to form words, Lorelai nodded with a large grin on her face. Luke picked her up and twirled her around. "We're having another baby!"

Luke finally put Lorelai down and started to ramble on about what needed to be done to prepare for the new baby- rebuilding the crib, buying new baby clothes, repainting the nursery, baby proofing the house again- things like that. Lorelai laughed at her husband's enthusiasm. He was cute when he rambled and even cuter when he rambled about babies. She smiled and put a hand over her stomach. Things were going to be different this time. She just knew they would be.

* * *

_**Two years later…**_

One year old Danny pulled himself to his feet and stood in the middle of the living room for a minute before he fell flat on his butt. He knew how to stand on his own, but it was the actual walking part that he couldn't get down. Lorelai walked into the room as Danny made another attempt to walk. She smiled at his determination, but couldn't help but laugh when he fell on his butt again. She put the laundry basket down and headed over to him.

"You're getting there honey," Lorelai said to her son. She picked him up and sat down on the couch.

"I want you to know that it's ok if you don't get it right away because the sooner you learn to walk, the sooner you'll walk out of Mommy and Daddy's life. Trust me, I know. I walked out on your grandparents when I was sixteen." Danny made more mumbling noises. "Oh Danny, I don't know where I'd be if I never walked out on your grandparents and never met Daddy. I'd be worse off, that's for sure. I don't want you to get discouraged Danny. You're going to learn how to walk. I promise."

Lorelai looked at Danny, then at the various family portraits and pictures on the mantle.

"Ok, here's the plan. I'll teach you the tricks to walking if you promise not to walk out on Mommy and Daddy until you go off to college." Danny looked up at Lorelai and rested her head on her shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes. Ok, the key to the whole walking thing is to put this foot in front of this one and then put this one in front of this one," she said pointing to his feet as she spoke. "You wanna try it again?"

"Momma!" Danny laughed as he looked up at his mom. He squirmed off her lap and back onto the floor. He crawled over to his toys and started to play with one that looked like a colorful, singing ladybug.

Lorelai laughed as she shook her head and picked up the toys Danny wasn't playing with. She put the discarded toys in the toy bin across the room and when she returned to the TV area, she found Danny standing. She was speechless when Danny lifted his chubby little left foot and put it slightly in front of his chubby little right foot.

"Oh my God," she gasped in surprised. "Luke! Luke, hurry!"

Luke came running into the room in a white t-shirt, his boxers, and shaving cream on his face. "What? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

"Look," Lorelai smiled, pointing to Danny.

Luke looked over the couch in time to see Danny take his first real step. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed. "He's walking!"

Danny looked up at his parents and started to laugh. "Dadda! Momma!" he yelled as he started moving quicker toward his parents.

Luke and Lorelai walked around the couch and Luke picked Danny up before he fell again.

"You're such a smart boy!" Lorelai said excitedly as kissed Danny's cheek.

"We're so proud of you son!" Luke said, hugging Danny tightly and kissing the top of his head.

"Um Daddy, you got shaving cream in his hair," Lorelai laughed.

"Huh?" Luke looked down. "Ah jeez. Sorry about that buddy. Here, go to Mommy. I'll be right back." He handed Danny to Lorelai and hurried upstairs.

Lorelai wiped the shaving cream out of Danny's hair and smiled again as she hugged him. "Daddy's right. We're very, _very _proud of you. I lived up to my end of the deal, so you have to keep yours ok? You don't leave Mommy and Daddy until you're eighteen."

* * *

_**A year and a half later…**_

"Having fun?" Luke joked as he passed his three year old son at the counter.

"Your pancakes are yummy Daddy," Danny smiled, syrup covering his face.

"It looks like my counters had more of the pancakes then you did. Were you just eating the syrup?" Danny just smiled. "I thought so. Tomorrow, you're getting oatmeal."

"Yuck! Oatmeal tastes like poopey."

"How do you know what poopey tastes like?" Danny shrugged. "Don't make a reference if you don't have the goods to back it up kid. Go to the bathroom and clean your face would ya?" Danny started licking the corners of his mouth. "No…no. Danny, don't do that. I said wash up."

"But it's a waste of sugar."

"You become more like your mother everyday. Wash up or I'm spraying you down in the sink."

Danny hopped off the stool and headed to the bathroom to wash up. While he was gone, Luke took the opportunity to clean up the mess. Jam hands were one thing. This was just ridiculous.

"All clean," Danny said cheerfully as he hopped onto a new stool. "Daddy?"

"How come the sign outside says William's Hardware?"

"This used to be my dad's hardware store. I used to help him when I was a little boy. When he died, he left me the his store. I didn't like running a hardware store as much as my dad so I changed it into a diner."

"Did you always want to own a diner?"

"No, not really. I thought about it, but not very seriously. I used to think I'd be a mechanic because I worked for the town's auto shop when I was younger."

"You mean Gypsy's?"

"It wasn't always Gypsy's. Her dad owned it and when he gave it to her, she changed the name."

"How come you didn't be a mechanic?"

"I only became a mechanic to help support your mommy and Rory."

"So what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I wanted to play baseball."

"You like baseball?"

Luke smiled and sat beside his son."I love baseball. I started play when I was smaller than you."

"Smaller than me?" Danny asked in surprise.

"Yup. Smaller than you."

"How come you didn't play baseball?"

"I met your mom. I loved baseball, but I love your mom a lot more. When my dad died, I was really down and your mommy helped me feel better. She even got me to open the diner. I thank God everyday that I met your mom because she gave me the best present I could ever ask for."

"What?"

"Rory, Kelly, Mikey, and you. I would give up everything for you guys."

Danny smiled. "Daddy?"

"Yeah son?"

"When I grow up, I wanna be just like you."

Luke smiled, remembering when he had said the same thing to his own father many years ago. He had a good feeling about Danny.

* * *

_**Six months later…**_

"Happy birthday Dad," Lorelai said as she gave Richard a hug.

"Why thank you Lorelai," Richard said with a smile. He noticed she was carrying her purse. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, we're about to head home."

"What? No. Stay."

"We can't Dad. It's getting late."

"Exactly why you should stay. Spend the night. You, Luke, and the kids. You shouldn't be driving home this late."

"We'll be fine Dad. Besides, Luke has an early delivery tomorrow and Danny's not feeling well."

"Well then let Kelly and Mikey spend the night."

"I don't know…"

"Please Lorelai. I'd really like them to stay. I'll take them out tomorrow and drop them off in the evening. It'll make up for Rory not being here." He looked at his daughter with pleading eyes.

"I guess they can stay," she sighed. She looked at her father and laughed. "Now I know where I get it from." Richard laughed and they walked into the livingroom. "Kelly, Mikey, guess what?"

"What?" Kelly and Mikey asked at the same time.

"You two are spending the night here and spend tomorrow with Grandpa. That's ok right Daddy?"

"I guess so Mommy," Luke replied. It wasn't as if he could say no now anyway.

"Bye Grandma," Danny said giving Emily a hug and a kiss.

"Bye-bye Danny," Emily said as she hugged him back.

Richard walked over to Danny. "I have something for you," he said.

"But it's your birthday," Danny remarked.

"Yes, but I would like to give this to you now." He pulled a gold cross on a chain out of his pocket. "Your mother told me you weren't feeling well. My father gave this to me when I was a boy and wasn't feeling well. When I wore it, it magically eased my pain."

Richard put the cross around Danny's neck and Danny gave him a hug. "Thank you Grandpa."

"You're welcome." He placed a soft kiss on the top of his little head. "Goodbye Danny."

"Goodbye Grandpa." Danny kissed Richard's cheek before running over to his parents.

As they left, Richard felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a bad feeling and he didn't care for it at all. He went to the kitchen for some ginger ale to settle his stomach.

* * *

Luke was driving down the highway very carefully. Today was supposed to be the last snow fall of the season and it was coming down heavily. Danny was in center seat in the back, sitting in his booster car seat sleeping. "My mother was freakishly pleasant to me today," Lorelai stated. 

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked.

"She only criticized me four times before dinner."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Hello, it's Emily Gilmore. Her life mission is to criticize her only daughter and make her feel like dirt for not turning out the way she wanted."

"You're exaggerating again."

"Your dad loved you. He was always proud of you."

"Your parents love you Lorelai."

"Only for the grandchildren."

"Stop it."

"It's true. They want to turn our kids into the kids they never had. Dress them up in nice fancy clothes, give them expensive cars, bring them to the club…I always got my nice fancy clothes dirty, I crashed the expensive cars they gave me, and I hated that club. Dad wants Danny to take over for him when he gets older."

"What?"

"Yeah. Dad said that he sees himself in Danny."

"Ok, let's talk about something else now. You wanna do something tomorrow?"

"What about the diner?"

"My son's sick. I can take the day off."

"But I thought you had…Oh my God, Luke look out!"

A car headed in the opposite direction was all over the road and got into their lane, speeding toward them. Luke hit his brakes, but the car kept moving because of the slick road. They were hit head on- hard. Because of the speed of the other car, their car was being pushed back a couple hundred yards. A big rig that was coming to the stop sign entering the highway slammed on it's brakes when the two cars passed right in front of him, but it couldn't stop. The truck slammed into the back end of Luke and Lorelai's car.

When the carnage stopped, the two smaller cars were on the side of the road and the big rig was a few yards away. Luke and Lorelai were in complete pain. Their air bags went off, but they didn't seem to do much. Lorelai was the first to come to. She looked over at her husband. Luke was hunched over the steering wheel, his face looking in her direction. He was still unconscious. Lorelai tried reaching out to him, but her arms were in too much pain to lift. She tried to stay awake, but it hurt too much to try. She shut her eyes again, slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Richard hurried to answer the door. It was far too late for someone to be at his door. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see a police officer on the other side. "I'm looking for a Mr. Richard Gilmore," the officer said. 

"I'm Richard Gilmore," Richard said.

"Richard Gilmore, father or Lorelai Danes?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Gilmore, I regret to inform you that there was an accident just outside Stars Hollow. Your daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were hit by a drunk driver and a big rig. They were taken to the Stars Hollow Medical Hospital." Richard couldn't believe what he was hearing. "A patrolman is on their way to inform your granddaughter, Rory Danes, of the accident."

Richard didn't hear anything else the officer said. All he wanted to do was get to Stars Hollow to be with his daughter.

* * *

Lorelai was the lucky one. She was going to walk out of this with a few cuts and bruises. Luke was kept in the ER for a while longer. He suffered a mild concussion, a fractured wrist, and had a few cuts and bruises too. His entire body was sore. The doctors allowed Lorelai to go to her husband. She stood beside the bed and his eyes slowly began to open. Lorelai couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She silently let them cascade down her cheeks. Before Luke could say anything, a doctor and patrolman walked in. The doctor checked to see how Luke was doing as the patrolman took statements from the couple. They still hadn't heard anything about Danny. 

"My son," Lorelai said. "He was in the back seat. Is he ok?"

Dr. Gordon removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "There's no easy way to say this," he sighed. "Mr. and Mrs. Danes, your son has…he has suffered very severe injuries. I'm sorry, but your son is in a coma and there is a chance that he may not wake up." Lorelai gasped and grabbed onto Luke. "We're doing everything we can, but I have to warn you that the outcome is looking very bleak right now."

"Can we see him?" Luke asked through tears.

"He just got out of ER and they're bringing him to ICU. When he's settled, you may see him. We'll leave you two to be alone. Again, I'm very sorry." With that, the doctor and patrolman left.

Luke and Lorelai sat in silence until Lorelai spoke up. "I need to tell you something," she said. Luke turned his head to face Lorelai. "This really isn't how I imagined doing this. Especially not with Danny…" Lorelai stopped and covered her mouth, trying not to cry.

Luke reached out and grabbed her hand. "Lorelai, what's wrong?"

"Luke, I'm pregnant."

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by someone yelling. "My daughter!" a man's voice boomed down the hall. "Lorelai Danes! I demand to see my daughter this instant!" Seconds later, Richard burst through the door. He immediately walked over to Lorelai and pulled her into a hug and started to cry. "I was so worried about you."

"Dad, it's ok," Lorelai said as she hugged her dad. "I'm fine."

"When they told me I was so scared I was going to lose you." Lorelai gave him another squeeze before pulling back. "I left your mother and the children at home. I didn't want them to see you like this. Rory's on her way." Richard turned to Luke. "How about you? How bad is it?"

"Not very," Luke replied. "Just a concussion, broken wrist, and a few cuts and bruises."

"But you'll be fine?" Luke nodded. "Oh thank God. And Danny?" Luke and Lorelai looked at each other sadly. "What? What's wrong?"

"Dad," Lorelai called, touching her father's arm. He immediately started to panic. "You might want to sit down for this."

* * *

For one month, Luke and Lorelai stayed at their son's beside. They couldn't move Danny up to pediatrics because of his condition. He had to stay in ICU- room 341. They spent everyday sitting with him, praying he would wake up, refusing to leave his side. They only went home at night, when visiting hours were over and they were forced to leave. It was a bright, sunny day when Luke and Lorelai walked into the hospital to see their son. Richard, Emily, Kelly, and Mikey arrived shortly after. On a day like this, you would never think something bad would happen. The keyword is _think_. 

They stepped off the elevator and headed down the hall to Danny's room. The sad looks on the nurses faces made Luke and Lorelai very nervous. Richard, Emily, Kelly, and Mikey stopped in the waiting room. There was a clear shot to the nurses station. As Luke and Lorelai approached the nurses' station, Dr. Gordon, Danny's doctor, walked up tp the couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Danes," Dr. Gordon called softly. "I'm afraid I have bad news."

"Bad news?" Lorelai asked in disbelief. "What kind of bad news? Is Danny ok?"

"This is always the hard part," Dr. Gordon sighed.

"What's going on?" Luke asked, getting agitated. "What's wrong with our son?"

"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Danes. We did everything we could." Luke and Lorelai immediately knew what happened. "He…he's gone. He passed away in his sleep. I hope it gives you some comfort knowing he was in no pain when he went. I'm so very sorry for your loss."

Lorelai let out a heart breaking cry as she buried her face in her husband's shoulder. Luke was too shocked to react. He held Lorelai as she cried, trying his best to keep from crying too. Dr. Gordon took something out of his pocket and handed it to Luke before they headed to the waiting room to break the news. They all stood when Luke and Lorelai walked in. Luke let go of Lorelai and walked up to Richard, who had a frightful look on his face. He placed the gold cross on a chain in Richard's hand.

"He went peacefully," Luke managed to strangle out. "He was in no pain."

Lorelai began to cry again and Emily immediately went to her side. Richard hesitantly hugged his son-in-law. With both his parents gone, Luke had no one to cry to so Richard stepped in. He held Luke as he cried for his son. After a while, Richard let go of Luke and went to Lorelai as Emily now comforted Luke. Luke turned to Kelly and Mikey, who stood to the side shocked and confused about what was happening. Luke opened his arms and Kelly immediately ran into them. He kissed the top of Kelly's head and knelt down so he was eye level with Mikey.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Mikey asked. "Is Danny ok?"

Luke shook his head. "No buddy," he replied sadly. "Your brother…he's…" Luke didn't know how to explain to a seven year old that his three year old brother had just died. "Danny's gone."

"Is he coming back?" Luke shook his head as tears fell from his eyes. "Where'd he go?"

"To heaven. His with Grandpa Will and Grandma Lana." Mikey knew what that meant. He sniffled and hugged his dad as he began to cry.

Rory walked into the waiting room to see her entire family crying. Luke was the first to see her. He wiped his face and stood. Rory shook her head, knowing immediately what was wrong.

"He's gone princess," Luke informed sadly. Rory ran into his arms and started to cry. Lorelai walked over to them and Luke put his arm around her, hugging them both. Kelly and Mikey joined in the family hug and for what seemed like an eternity, the Danes family stood there holding each other as they mourned for Daniel Vincent Danes.

Seconds after releasing each other, Lorelai felt a sharp pain on her stomach. "Ow," she cried as she bent over holding her stomach.

"Lorelai? Lorelai, what's wrong?" Luke asked.

"It hurts," Lorelai cried before nearly collapsing into his arms.

"Lorelai! Oh my God. Help! I need a doctor!" A doctor and a few nurses came running down the hall to help Lorelai. An hour later, Luke was informed that Lorelai had a miscarriage.

* * *

The next few months were hell on Luke and Lorelai. Deeply hit by the loss of his youngest son and unborn child, Luke fell into a deep depression and eventually was given antidepressants. He wouldn't eat, barely slept, and stopped shaving. He was a complete mess and if it weren't for Lorelai, he probably wouldn't have survived. But not everything was perfect between them. Even making love was different. Something seemed to be missing when they were intimate. They had began to fight with each other. 

At first, it was about little frivolous things. Lorelai was mainly angry that Luke refused to do anything and that he would shrug off or completely ignore the fights. He would sit there and stare at her as she yelled at him. She wanted a reaction from him and he didn't seem to care. There had been one instance that she threw something at him to get him to budge, but he did nothing. He never once yelled back or threw anything at her. Luke had his own problems. He didn't like hearing Lorelai yell at him. Don't get me wrong, they didn't always fight. They did have their pleasant moments, but they were becoming few and far between. Every fight intensified in anger and frustration.

They laid in bed on their back, staring at the ceiling. They were making love when Luke sudden rolled off her and they hadn't spoken since. "Maybe it's the antidepressants. Dr. Weiss said they can have sexual side effects," Lorelai said.

"This is the third night this week I haven't been able to keep it up," Luke said in frustration.

"Maybe tomorrow will be better."

"Whatever." Luke rolled over onto his side and shut his eyes.

"Or you can go see a doctor."

"I'm not seeing a doctor."

"I was just…"

Luke shot up and faced Lorelai. "I said I don't wanna see a doctor, so just leave it alone."

"Here's a first- Luke Danes is actually fighting back," Lorelai bit as she sat up.

"Do you want me to apologize? Fine. I'm sorry Lorelai. I'm sorry I can't keep it up and I'm sorry I can't satisfy you."

"I'm not asking from an apology."

"Then what do you want from me?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm not in the mood for this Lorelai. We'll talk about it later." He laid down again and turned his back to Lorelai.

"No, we won't. You always say we'll talk about it later but we never do."

"I'm tired of fighting with you Lorelai. So I'm just going to go back to sleep. Goodnight Lorelai."

"That's just it! You don't fight! I fight and you do nothing!"

"I said goodnight Lorelai!

"What has gotten into you Luke? We used to talk. The man I married always talked to me. You're shutting me out and I'm tired of it. What happened to you? You're not the man I married. I don't know who you are." Luke tossed the covers off and put his boxers on. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep the guestroom," Luke replied as he pulled on his pants and shirt.

"Why?"

"You share that bed with your husband and I'm not the man you married." With that, Luke walked out the door and went to the guestroom, leaving Lorelai shocked and confused.

* * *

The next morning, after Kelly and Mikey went to school, Luke and Lorelai sat uncomfortably in the kitchen. "We need to talk," Lorelai said. 

"Not now Lorelai," Luke said as he put his plate in the sink. "I have to get to work." he turned and was about leave when Lorelai spoke again.

"I think we should get a separation."

Luke froze and slowly turned around. "What?"

"I can't do this anymore Luke. I can't keep fighting with you. I just can't."

"We had a fight. We can work it out."

"We've been fighting for five months and it's not getting better. I just think we need a break."

"So you want a divorce?"

"No. A separation."

"Do you really want to put the kids through this? They're just getting their lives back to normal."

"We won't tell them."

"I think they'll figure it out when Daddy moves out."

"Then don't move out. Stay in the guestroom."

"So we're going to get separated by a hall?"

"I don't hear you coming up with any suggestions. Look, we'll just pretend that everything's normal and at night, after the kids go to bed, you can just go to the guestroom and sleep there. You're up before anyone else so they won't know you slept in there. It's simple."

"It's far from simple Lorelai."

"I don't want this town hounding us about separating. Please, let's just do this and when we feel the kids are ready, we'll separate for real."

Luke took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You know, I always read about parents that lose a kid and they're so devastated that they drift apart and eventually split up. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be one of those couples."

"We can't keep living like this Luke. The pressure, the fighting…I can't."

"After twenty years of marriage you want a divorce? We've spent more than half our lives together Lorelai and you wanna end it just like that?"

Lorelai sighed. "We were young when we got married Luke. Your father was sick and Kevin…"

"Our getting married had nothing to do with my father or Kevin. I love you and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I still want that. Don't you?"

"Of course I do, but sometimes what we want isn't what's best. Luke, I'm asking to separate. That doesn't mean we're going to get a divorce."

"It'll lead to one."

"Can we please just get this separation? Then we can see how it turns out."

Luke took off his hat and scratched his head. "I'll start moving my stuff I get home."

"Thank you Luke."

"Don't. Don't thank me after I agree to this. I gotta get to work." Luke headed for the door.

"Luke?"

"What?"

"I want you to know that whatever happens, I…I still love you."

Luke nodded. "I love you too." With that he walked out the door. He leaned against it as his heart broke. If she loved him, then why was she doing this to him?

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Luke takes Lorelai away for a romantic Valentine's Day weekend. Present Day- Lorelai turns to Luke on the anniversary of Danny's death and they share a night of passion. WARNING: This chapter will have smut everywhere you look...or…read. Whatever. Lol._**

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. My grandmother had to go to the hospital and when she got out, we found out that my great uncle had died. My family and I have been trying to spend as much time together as possible. We're talking about going to the Philippines to be with the rest of the family. The death hit us hard and I haven't really been up to writing because of it. I made the chapter extra long to make up for the lack of updates- I even have three alternate scenes. This actually happened to a friend of mine. His parents and brother were in a car accident and his brother died. Six months later, his parents announced they were getting a divorce. It was horrible. Well, I hope the chapter has met your standards. Until next time, I bid you ado.**


	24. Memories of Us

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**A/N:** **This is just a mini A/N, there's a longer one at the bottom. I was just wondering how many people noticed that Danny's initials were DVD. Lol.**

**Chapter 24- Memories of Us**

_**1985**_

Lorelai looked around at her surroundings. Luke told her he had big plans for Valentine's Day weekend and sure enough, Lorelai found herself riding in his truck for what seemed like forever up a dirt road. It hadn't been an easy task to talk her into going. They had tomorrow off from school because of a teacher conference, so school wasn't an excuse for her to say no. Rory and work were her big things. But Luke was one step ahead of her the whole time. He talked Mia into giving her a few days off and arranged for his father to watch Rory. After much debate, she finally agreed. He pulled up to a cabin by the lake. It was very serene and romantic. The cabin was about one or two hundred yards from the lake and had the most beautiful view. A shiver went down Lorelai's spine as she remembered she would be spending an entire weekend with Luke- alone- at this romantic getaway.

"You cold?" Luke asked as he unloaded their bags.

"Sorta," Lorelai replied.

"Let's get inside and I'll start a fire." Lorelai followed Luke into the cabin. It was simple, making it more attractive. "Not much of a grand tour. We've got the kitchen/diningroom. The livingroom. And that's the bedroom. There's a bathroom connected to it."

"This place is beautiful."

"It was my mother's. When she got sick, Dad built this place for her so she could relax. She'd sit on the porch and sing. She had the most beautiful voice. It was soft, gentle. Just like her."

"This cabin must mean a lot to you."

"It does." Luke looked at Lorelai and smiled. "That's why I brought you here. Come on. Let's get that fire started and then I'll cook us some dinner."

Luke got the fire going and while he started dinner, Lorelai sat cozily in front of the fire place. Soon the cabin was filled with an delectable aroma Lorelai couldn't seem to get away from. She got up and walked to the kitchen where Luke was just finishing up dinner.

"Mm. Smells good. What is it?" Lorelai asked.

"Stuffed ravioli with a sun-dried tomato sauce and a bottle of red wine to go with our meal."

"Red wine? Why Mr. Danes, are you trying to get me drunk?"

"If I was trying to do that, I'd get something much stronger."

Luke pulled out a chair for Lorelai before he took his seat and they started to eat. After dinner, they brought the rest of their wine with them to the couch in front of the fire. An empty wine bottle and two empty wine glasses sat on the side table not much long afterwards. Lorelai sat leaning into Luke as he rubbed her arm. They both felt an overwhelming sense of content. Lorelai turned her head and looked up at Luke. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked down at her and smiled. She placed a hand on his cheek and brought his face toward hers for a loving kiss.

Lorelai turned over and straddled his lap. Luke's hands moved from her back down to her hips and then they found their way under her sweater. Lorelai gasped when she felt his hands on her lower back. Luke pulled back from their kiss, fearing he had gone too far, but Lorelai shook her head telling him it was a good gasp and kissed him again. As the heat and passion grew, Luke lifted her and laid them down on the couch. His hands started traveling north.

"Luke, we can't," Lorelai said suddenly as she broke their kiss.

Luke immediately pulled back, sitting on the opposite side of the couch as he ran his fingers through his hair. He felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry. I thought…ah jeez. I'm an idiot. I'm a jerk!" Luke scolded himself. "I'm really, really, so…"

Lorelai sat up. "Luke, don't be sorry. You're not an idiot or a jerk. What I meant was…" She stood, grabbed his hand, and pulled him up too. "I meant, we can't _here_." Luke raised a brow. "The couch isn't big enough. We need to move this to the bedroom."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Luke shut the door and turned to find Lorelai standing right behind him. Her blue eyes illuminated in the darkness like two stars burning brightly in the night. Her hands were on his face again. She rubbed her thumbs against his stubbly cheek. She missed everything about him and she just wanted to be as close to him as she could.

"Lorelai…" he called softly, but Lorelai shook her head.

"I just want to remember," she interrupted as she moved her face closer to his. Their lips were drawn together like magnets. Lorelai was the one to break the kiss. "I want to remember what it was like to be with you. I need to be with you." Luke was silent. "Please. Even…even if it's just for tonight. I need to be as close to you as I can. I…"

"If tonight's all I get," he interrupted, "then I'll take it."

Lorelai pulled his face to hers again and his hand instinctively was on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. The kiss was simple, yet passionate, like their first kiss. They moved toward the bed. Luke eased her down to the mattress. He never broke their kiss as his fingers found the buttons on her pajamas shirt. He kissed his way from her lips to her neck and the path continued downward. With each button unbuttoned, he kissed the newly exposed flesh, feeling it radiate heat as he did. When he was finished, he followed the trail back up to her lips.

Lorelai lifted her body off the mattress and Luke pushed the pajama top off her shoulders and tossed it aside. Needing to feel his skin against hers, she pulled his shirt over his head and tossed to the floor. Luke smiled when he realized the clasp to Lorelai's bra was in the front. He had always loved those bras- they were easier for him to remove. Pretty soon, it was gone.

Luke nearly lost it at the feel of her breasts against his bare chest, but he controlled himself. He didn't want to rush anything tonight. He had been without sex much longer than he liked. He had been without Lorelai for much longer than he liked. To end what he had been waiting for before it began would not only be embarrassing, but virtually unsatisfying.

He dipped his head, taking one of her nipples into his mouth and gently nibbled on it as he played with the other one, twisting and pulling it between the pads of his fingers. Lorelai arched her back and moaned. Satisfied and aroused by her response, he switched over to the other breast, giving the same devote attention.

"Luke," Lorelai managed to raggedly call. "Please. I need…I…"

Luke silenced her with another kiss. This kiss was more passionate, more urgent. Their bodies were pressed together, not an inch between them. Lorelai could feel him against her thigh and he was hard and ready. Lorelai gently pushed his chest, inadvertently sending him the wrong message. Luke sighed and turned his head away.

"Hey," she called, when she realized what he thought. Luke looked at her. She smiled and removed her pants and panties. "Your turn."

Luke stared at her in awe. No matter how many times he saw her naked, he was still amazed. He nodded and stood beside the bed. He quickly disposed of his pants and boxers. Lorelai stared at him in all his glory. And oh what glory he was. She watched his every movement as he crawled back into bed and on top of her. Their eyes locked and they both smiled. Though the probably wouldn't admit it aloud, they were falling in love all over again.

He positioned himself at her opening and waited for a sign of assurance. She nodded, biting her bottom lip in anticipation. He took a deep breath and filled her in one swift motion. Lorelai bit down on her lip to the point where she thought she would bleed to keep from screaming. Luke didn't move. He stayed in place to allow Lorelai's body to once again get used to his size. He was larger than she remembered.

After what seemed like an eternity, he began to move. Long, slow strokes at first. Again, he wanted this to last as long as possible. His mind kept telling him to keep it slow, but his body and Lorelai were telling him otherwise. He quickened his pace to comply with his and Lorelai's desire. She was moaning his name, encouraging him to move faster, to fill his own desire along with hers. Their breathing became labored.

Luke managed to open his eyes. He looked at the woman beneath him. God she was beautiful. The long, lonely nights without her had been hell and now he listened as she chanted his name as if it were a holy prayer. Her eyes were shut as she was brought closer and closer to ecstacy. He was far too enticed to notice she was digging her nails into his back. He watched as her breasts moved with each deliberate thrust. He moved almost frantically in and out of her.

She was close and he knew it. She wanted- no, needed release but couldn't find it. "Lorelai," he called. Her eyes flew open, filled with passion and desire. "Keep your eyes on mine."

Lorelai obliged. He moved one of his hands between their bodies and touched her where she needed to be touched to find her release. A few thrusts later, she was calling out his name as she came. He watched her as she orgasmed. Looking into her eyes as she found ecstacy brought Luke over the edge. He too called out her name as he emptied himself inside her. After a few more thrusts, Luke collapsed on top of her. Her arms went limp around his sweat shoulders. She giggled when he uttered a satisfied, "Ah jeez."

* * *

_**1984**_

Luke and Lorelai stood in the darkened room kissing and groping each other. Luke pulled back and sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, we don't have to," he said.

"I want to. I've never wanted anything more in my life," Lorelai stated truthfully.

Luke brought their lips together for another electrifying kiss. Lorelai pushed his jacket off his shoulders and yanked at the knot of his tie. Luke laughed against her lips as she became frustrated with the garment. She was beginning to think he put a suit on just to tease her. "Eager are we?" he teased.

"Shut up and take this thing off."

He happily obliged, loosening the tie and haphazardly tossing it aside. Lorelai immediately went to work on the buttons of his shirt. It was gone in no time. She had seen him shirtless a few times, but this was the first time in the course of their relationship she was seeing him shirtless. Lorelai placed her hands on his chest and slowly ran them up and down his chest. Her hands traveled up and over his shoulders, exploring the curves in his shoulder blades and back.

He put his hands on her arms and lifted them above her head. He gently pulled the sweater over her head. He played with the straps of the black bra she wore, tracing them down to the padding. He grinned devilishly as he outlined the lacey part, teasing her by brushing his fingertips over her breast but never really touching them. Their lips collided again as he unhooked the bra and giving it the same treatment as his tie.

Luke unfastened her pants and pushed them off her hips. His hands explored the contours of her body. They stopped when they hit material. He hooked his thumbs under the lace material and smiled against her lips.

"What is it with you and the lace?" he teased.

"If you hate it so much, take it off," she tempted.

He happily obliged. He left her lips and kissed his way down her body until he was kneeling in front of her. She gasped when his hands made their way around her body and cupped her ass, but his lips never left her stomach. He glanced up at her and with a wink, he rolled the last of the material on her body off. He lifted each foot, helping her step out of the panties. His hands traveled up her legs to her inner thighs. She shook a little, not sure what he was going to do next. She was slightly disappointed when he slowly rose to his feet. One hand was on her back and the other was…

Lorelai gasped when he inserted a finger into her body. He began moving it in and out, rubbing the palm of his hand against her clit. He inserted another finger. And another. One hand worked between her legs, the other on her back for support, and all the while, his eyes never left hers. Lorelai buried her face into Luke's shoulder as she came closer to climax. The hand that was on her lower back was now holding her against his body. He moved his hand between her legs faster until she met her release. She bit down on his shoulder as she did, then fell helplessly into his arms.

He put his arm under her butt and carried her to the bed, gently laying her down. After getting back her strength and her breath, she propped herself up on her elbows and stared at Luke. He unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, letting them drop to the floor. He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips. "What are you waiting for?" she asked half-jokingly.

He laughed. "Alright, ready or not…" he dropped his boxers and kicked out of them.

Lorelai's eyes widened. The rumors about his…manliness did him no justice. He was all of what they said and then some. She was just going to have to test the stamina theory and boy was she going to enjoy doing so. She wrapped her hand around his erection, satin and steel in her hands. He shut his eyes as she slowly moved her hand down the length of his base, then back up again. She knelt on the edge of the bed so she was eye level with him as her hand pumped away. He pulled her face toward his for a fierce kiss. He pulled away as his breathing became ragged due to the increasing pace of her hand. He let out a groan as he came in her hand.

They kissed as Luke brought them down the mattress. He pushed himself up and looked at the woman lying beneath him. He couldn't get over how remarkably beautiful she was and how unbelievably lucky he was to be with her. "Hey," he called softly. She looked up at him. "Keep your eyes on mine."

He wanted to remember everything about this night. He wanted to remember the look in her eyes as he entered her body the first time, her reaction to his every thrust, and how she looked as he brought her over the edge. Lorelai nodded, understanding his request without needed to ask. She too wanted to remember these things and share in the memories.

He grabbed a condom from the side table and slipped it on before he slowly started to impale her. She found it hard to keep her eyes open now. Her body painfully stretched to accommodate him. He was hands down the largest man she'd been with. She was gripping the sheets beside her with dear life as he continued his slow entrance. He was half way in when he noticed she was biting down on her lip and he immediately became concerned.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked. She nodded, unable to speak. "Did I hurt you? Should I stop?" She shook her head. "You sure?" When she nodded, he filled her completely. They fit perfectly together like pieces of a puzzle.

He held his position to allow her body to get used to his size. He stayed that way until he got a signal from Lorelai it was ok to move. She wrapped her long legs around his waist and pulled him closer, telling him to move. He immediately began to move within her. He was rewarded with light gasps from Lorelai the first few times he slid in and out of her. His movements soon began to quicken and she matched him thrust for thrust, never breaking eye contact.

There was something both wildly romantic and exciting about staring into your partner's eyes as you made love. Maybe it was because there was no where to hide. Any emotions and feelings they had at that moment were being projected through their eyes. They both knew what the other was feeling and it enticed them even more.

Lorelai was moaning and rambling something Luke couldn't understand. He took that as a good sign. If you get a woman to speak in tongues while you're making love to her and she's not possessed, then you've gotta be doing something right. Lorelai was getting louder so he must have been doing it _very_ right. Luke started moving faster, fueled by Lorelai's moaning. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up at first. Not only did she keep up, but she encouraged him to quicken the pace. He never was one to turn down a beautiful woman. He was moving at such a furious pace and moving so deep within her, she thought she was going to break in two.

Their bodies felt like they were on fire. There were beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and his body and she had begun to chant his name. She was close and so was he. With each "Oh Luke" that escaped her lips, he matched her with a "God Lorelai" of his own. Lorelai screamed out his name at the top of her lungs as she orgasmed. That was enough to bring Luke over the edge, calling out her name as he did. He rode out the aftershocks before collapsing on top of her. He buried his face in her neck, kissing it a few times before rolling beside her. Lorelai whimpered when he pulled out of her, making him laugh. He turned his head to look at her and smiled. He placed a hand on her cheek and brought her face to his. Lorelai eagerly returned the kiss thinking, _God I can do this forever.

* * *

_

_**Present Day**_

"Ah jeez," Luke said in a satisfied tone as he rolled off Lorelai.

"Oh my God," Lorelai stated with a smile. "That was…"

"Ah jeez."

"I was going to say amazing, but that works too," Lorelai laughed. She let out a content sigh. "I almost forgot how incredible we are. It's been what? Six months?"

"Five months, three weeks, six days, twenty-one hours, and…" Luke glanced at the clock on the table. "Thirteen minutes."

"But who's counting?" Luke laughed. Lorelai snuggled up closer to Luke, entangling her legs with his and resting her head on his chest. "This _was_ amazing."

"It was beyond amazing."

"What's beyond amazing?"

"Perfect."

Lorelai smiled as she kissed his chest. "It was perfect." Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head. "So…"

"So…"

"You wanna do it again?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Luke rolled onto Lorelai, making her giggle. They pushed obvious questions and concerns to the back of their minds. They both knew they were going to have to talk about what tonight meant sometime, but tonight wasn't that night. Tonight they were lovers again, husband and wife, reliving the joys and love they shared.

* * *

_**1984**_

Luke was lying on his back with Lorelai snugly in his arms beside him. He slowly ran his fingertips up and down her spine, every once and a while being rewarded with a moan. He would have liked doing what they were doing twenty minutes ago, but this was nice too. He was quite surprised to find out not only could she keep up with his overbearing libido, but had one to match his. For the first time, he actually felt content after sex.

"Luke," Lorelai called softly.

"Hm?" Luke replied.

"Did you…um…plan this?"

"What?"

He could hear and feel her taking a deep breath. "You didn't bring me here to…"

Luke immediately sat, realizing what she was suggesting. "Oh my God. You think I brought you up here to get you into bed?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said as she sat up, covering herself with the thin bed sheet. "You say you want to take me away for four days and then you bring me here- to this romantic getaway- where you serve me red wine and feed me this amazing pasta...oh my God. What was in that pasta anyway? It was…"

"You're getting sidetracked." And he was getting irritated. "And I thought it was romantic!"

"It was romantic! But…what about the condoms? That's a brand new box."

"Lorelai, I brought you here because I wanted this weekend to be special. It's our first Valentine's Day together and I wanted it to be romantic. I told you earlier, this cabin is really special to me and I wanted you to share in that feeling. I wanted it to be special for us, but for an entirely different reason. I wanted us to make memories. Memories of us. And yes, I went out and bought a box of condoms in case…I wasn't expecting anything to happen. But if something did, I wanted to be prepared."

Lorelai sighed and buried her face in his neck. "I feel like an idiot. Luke, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything or upset you. I just thought…you have to admit, it does seem like you were trying to get lucky."

He tilted her chin up with his finger. "I was lucky the day I met you." He kissed her lips lightly. "Or did you not notice the open seat across the room in the waiting room that day?"

"What?" she asked, a smile playing on her face.

"When I walked in, someone had just been called for a room and there was a seat right in front of me, but the one I wanted was beside you. I want to be beside you for the rest of my life."

"You're a great smooth talker Danes." She kissed him and they laid down again. "So when you say you want to be beside me the rest of your life, are you hinting something?"

"Like what?"

"What's that I hear? Oh, wedding bells?"

"I'm not proposing to you right this second. But is it such a bad idea of me asking you?"

"No," Lorelai smiled. "Not a bad idea at all."

"So if I asked…"

"If I was asked to marry someone a year ago, I would have said no. But if you asked me tomorrow- since we've established you're not asking right this second- there's a possibility I would say yes."

"Why? What's the difference between me and Christopher?"

"I didn't love Christopher like I love you. I don't think I ever, truly loved him." Luke liked that answer. He pulled her close and she started to trace circles on his arm. "You know what would go great right here?"

"What?"

"A tattoo."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Word of Luke and Lorelai's weekend together spreads like wildfire. Richard goes to Stars Hollow to hire William for a project and unknowingly meets his daughter's boyfriend. Present Day- On the day of Danny's death anniversary, Luke and Lorelai have to deal with old friends and townspeople coming to their door and keeping them from being intimate. Rory takes Jess somewhere special._**

**A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes. My family's slowly recovering. Because of what it would cost to fly me and my siblings alone to the Philippines (To javarox- yes, I'm filipino, but I don't act, talk, and only look a little filipino), we decided to stay here. As always, I appreciate the reviews. I heard from all my loyals, whom I love to hear from, and there were a few newbies, who I was so happy to hear from I was going to do a back flip for until I remembered I don't know how to do a back flip. There's a first time for everything and as of Friday October 28, I got my first bad review. I'm going into ranting mode, so hold your horses folks. If you don't like my story, then don't read it. Duh. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. I never said they were only mourning Danny. I emphasized Danny's death because it's the key to the story. If he had survived the car crash, Luke and Lorelai wouldn't be going through the separation because his death along with the last miscarriage was the final breaking point. And speaking of the miscarriages, it's called determination. You may not know someone that would go through that, but I do. My aunt had _15_ miscarriages before she got her daughter and later her son. Chapter 23 Lorelai was written to honor my aunt. And doctors can only advise. They can't stop you from trying to have the family you want. So again, if you don't like my story, don't read it. And end rant! Thank you and goodnight!**


	25. Happy

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**Chapter 25- Happy**

_**1985**_

"There she is!" Sookie said excitedly as she, Sarah, Gypsy, and Lulu approached Lorelai.

"Hey guys," Lorelai greeted with a smile. "What's up?"

"Come on Lorelai," Sarah said. "You don't have to play coy with us. We know about Luke."

"I'm sorry. I'm lost. What about Luke now?"

"We know you two…you know," Sookie suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh," Lorelai said shyly, looking down and blushing as she smiled. "That."

"So it is true!" Sarah said excitedly. "Well come on girl, don't hold out on us! How was he?"

"Are the rumors true?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai laughed at her friends' interest. "He's amazing," she replied with a smile. "He was gentle and romantic. And yes. He's all of what the rumors say and much, _much_ more."

"I heard you spent four days with him," Gypsy remarked.

"I did. He took me to his mom's cabin. It was right by the water too. And at night, when the moon is setting just above the water…Oh my God. It's the most beautiful thing you'd ever see. He cooked me dinner every night and then we'd sit by the fire and just enjoy each other."

"Are we still talking about Luke? Because this doesn't sound like Butch Danes," Sarah teased.

"It's the same guy," Lorelai laughed. "He's this totally different guy when it's just me and him."

"You sound very happy," Lulu added.

"I am very happy," Lorelai smiled.

The girls headed toward the quad where they spotted the guys in the distance. Jackson and Andrew were standing around, discussing something about a class they both just had and Kevin was talking to Luke, who was laying on his back across the bench.

Kevin saw the girls and stood to greet them. "Well, hello ladies," he said with a smile. "Look Luke, it's the girls."

"Heard ya the first time," Luke said sleepily, his eyes still closed.

"Would you like to get up and say hello?"

"Go to hell."

"You're a real charmer Danes." Kevin turned his attention back to the girls. "Don't mind him. He's grouchy because he's tired. Coach had him run ten laps for skipping Friday's practice."

"I'm grouchy because _someone_ forgot to tell coach I was gonna be out of town for a few days. And if I were _someone_, I'd shut up and keep my distance. Jackson, remind me to go to the library when I have free period for now on."

Lorelai walked over to the bench and sat beside Luke's head. She put her hands on his face and leaned down to kiss him. "Hey," she smiled down at him.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile.

"Ah, young love," Kevin teased as he put his arm around Sarah. "Remember when we were like that honey?"

"Yeah, then I realized that you were a pain in the ass," Sarah joked.

Luke got enough strength to swing his legs over and sat up. Lorelai immediately took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

"You two are so cute together," Sookie squealed.

"We try," Lorelai joked.

Everyone started their own conversations with each other. When the bell rang indicating it was time to get back to class, they all stood and got ready to head their separate ways. As Luke got his things together to head to his next class and gave Lorelai a quick kiss, Kevin walked up to his best friend and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey," Kevin said. "You happy?"

Luke smiled and laughed a little. "Happier than I've ever been in my life," he smiled.

"Good. You deserve to be." Kevin patted his friend's chest. "Come on. Let's get to class."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai let out a content sigh as she awoke the next morning. She was lying with her back against Luke's chest- his arm draped protectively across her waist- staring out the window as the sun beamed into their bedroom. Her smile grew wider as she felt his lips against the back of her neck. Less than twenty-four hours ago they were semi-estranged, but last night, they were lovers again. Luke had given his whole heart to her last night, not that she had ever given it back to him. He knew he had said it would be just that one night, but one night wasn't enough. Little did he know, she was thinking the same thing, but she dare not say it aloud.

"Morning," Luke said against her neck.

"Mm," Lorelai moaned. "Morning."

"Sleep well?"

"Very, but something kept poking me." Luke laughed. Lorelai turned around to face him. "So…"

"So…"

She grinned as she kissed him. "You up for another couple rounds?"

"You're trying to kill me woman," Luke smiled against her lips.

"But what a way to go."

Luke wrapped his arms around Lorelai, pulling her closer and intensifying the kiss. Just as they were about to get intimate again, the sound of the doorbell rang through out the house. "Maybe if we're real quiet, they'll think we're not home," Luke said.

"Both our cars and the minivan are outside," Lorelai remarked.

"Ok, maybe they'll just go away then."

They waited and then the doorbell sounded again, this time followed by knocking. Ding dong, knock, knock, knock. Ding dong, knock, knock, knock. It went on a few more times before Luke had enough. He rolled off of Lorelai and got out of bed. He quickly put some clothes on, then leaned down and kissed Lorelai.

"Hold that thought. I'll be right back," he said. He hurried downstairs to get rid of whoever was at the door. When he answered it, Andrew stood on the other side.

"Oh, hey Luke," Andrew greeted nervously, trying not to look Luke in the eye.

"There something I can help you with Andrew?"

"Um, yeah." Andrew picked up the bag sitting beside his feet. "I, um, wanted to drop these off. They're books…for Rory. I had to order them on-line for her and they just got in. So…here."

Luke took the bag. "Alright. Thanks. I guess. How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, no. You…she…nothing. I mean, she…she paid already. When she asked for the books." Andrew was very nervous around Luke. After all, they hadn't really talked in years.

"Ok. That all?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I guess it is."

Luke shook his head and waited for Andrew to leave. "Ok then. Bye Andrew."

"Oh! Yeah. Bye." Andrew turned and started down the porch steps. He reached the bottom of the steps when Luke was about to close the door. He took a deep breath and faced his friend again. "Hey Luke?"

Luke paused and opened the door again. "Yeah?"

"I wanted to offer my condolences. For Danny. It's today right? Today's the…"

"Yeah," Luke interrupted. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Well, I should get back to work. I'll…I'll see you around."

Luke nodded and shut the door as Andrew headed down the street. He put the books on the table in the foyer and was about to go upstairs when the doorbell rang again. He sighed and answered it. It was Patty and Babette.

"Good morning Miss Patty, Babette," Luke greeted.

"Oh thank God you're here. See Patty, I told ya he'd be here," Babette said.

"I never said he wouldn't be here," Patty remarked.

"I'm sorry, is there something I can do for you two?" Luke asked.

"Oh no sugar. We didn't see you at the diner and were just makin' sure you're not doing something crazy or something," Babette replied.

"Nope, nothing crazy. Just…here. Well, if there's nothing I can do for you…"

"Oh sweetie, today must be really hard for you," Patty said, shocking Luke by pulling him into a big hug. "I remember you took it very hard when it happened."

"Yeah, you were miserable," Babette added, pulling Luke into a hug once Patty let him go. "Didn't wanna work, eat, sleep, or do anything. It was like the life was sucked right outta ya!"

"How are you dear?" Patty asked.

"Is there anything we can do for ya?" Babette asked.

"Uh no. I'm fine really. Uh, ladies, I'd love to have you stay and chat, but I was just in the middle of something," Luke said, trying to shoo them out of the house. "So if you don't mind…"

"Luke," Lorelai called as she came downstairs in her silk robe. Her head was down so she didn't see Patty or Babette. "What's taking you so…oh. Patty. Babette. Hi."

"Well hello Lorelai," Patty said with a smile growing.

"What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to come by to make sure you dolls were doing alright. It looks like you're doing just fine," Babette smirked.

Lorelai smiled as she began to blush. "Would you like to come inside for a minute?"

"Oh we don't want to intrude," Patty replied.

"No, no," Lorelai said as she descended the stairs and stood beside Luke. "You're not intruding."

"They're not?" Luke asked. Lorelai elbowed him in the side. "I mean, of course you're not. Please stay a minute."

"No, really, we should get going," Babette said. "But you two are doing alright?"

"Yes Babette," Lorelai replied. "We're fine. Thank you for your concern."

"No problem. And we're very sorry for your loss. It must be really hard on you dolls."

"You know, you always hear about those couples that break up after a loss of one of their children," Patty remarked. "Thank God you two aren't one of those couples."

Luke found himself forcing a smile and a straight face to keep from his neighbors from realizing they were one of those couples.

"I always said you two belonged together," Patty continued. "Didn't I always say that Babette?"

"She did," Babette nodded. "Well, we gotta get going. We'll see you two around." With that, Patty and Babaette left.

Luke sighed as he shut the door. They were about to go back upstairs when the doorbell rang yet again. "I'll get it," Luke said. "You go on back upstairs."

"I'll see you in a minute?" Lorelai asked. Luke nodded and Lorelai gave him a quick peck on the lips before heading back to the bedroom.

* * *

_**1985**_

Richard pulled up to the curb in front of William's Hardware Store. He stepped out of his car and looked around at the town. He was tempted to go out and look for Lorelai, but restrained himself. He didn't want her to think he was trying to get her to come home. He was here on business. Richard walked into the hardware store and made his way to the register.

William looked up at him from behind the counter. "Good afternoon sir," William greeted.

"Hello," Richard said. "I'm looking for Mr. William Danes."

"I'm Will Danes. You must be Richard."

"Indeed I am." Richard shook William's hand. "I assume you spoke with Floyd already."

"Yes I did."

Richard's company was going to expand Richard's office and after a praised review from an associate for a job done at his home, the company decided to hire William for the job. They were going over the plans and contracts for the project when Luke walked into the store.

"Dad!" Luke called. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the formally dressed man at the counter talking with his father.

"Good, you're here," William smiled. He walked over to Luke and patted his back. "Richard, I'd like you to meet my best worker, my son Luke. Son, this is Richard. He's here for that job in Hartford we got a call about last week."

"Oh. Hello," Luke said shaking Richard's hand. "It's nice to meet you sir."

"It's nice to meet you too young man," Richard said, very pleased with Luke's show of respect.

"You'll have to excuse me sir. I have to do my homework, but it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh by all means, your education comes first. Go right ahead." Richard was more impressed with Luke now that he seemed to be very interested in his school work.

"Hey," William called to Luke. Luke stopped and faced his father. "We need to talk about something I heard from Miss Patty, Babette, Eastside Tilly, Taylor, Bootsy's father, Morey, Mrs. Cassini, Mia, Mrs. Kim…"

"Ah jeez," Luke groaned. "I'm suspecting this is about last weekend?"

"Yes it is, but it's not something to be discussed in front of company." Luke nodded and continued upstairs to his father's office.

"He seems like a very nice young man," Richard remarked.

"Luke's a great kid," Will stated proudly. "He's responsible, athletic, hard working, and smart too. Hopefully, he'll be the first Danes to go to and finish college."

"He's an only child?"

"No, no. I have a daughter. Do you have any kids?"

"A daughter." Richard took a step closer to the curtain. "You know, your son is just the kind of young man I'd like my daughter to end up with." Richard turned his attention back to William. "Is seeing someone at the moment?"

William laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you Richard, but he's taken. He's quite smitten with a young woman he met some moths ago. She's a great girl."

"And I'm sure your son deserves her."

"He does and I'm sure your daughter is a wonderful girl."

"That she is," Richard smiled. "Well, I've taken too much of your time, so I'll be going now."

"Alright then Richard," William said shaking Richard's hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"You too. Give my regards to your boy."

"Will do. Have a nice day." Richard headed for the door, but William stopped him just before he left. "Oh Richard, I never did get your last name."

"It's Gilmore." With a nod and smile, Richard left the hardware store.

_Gilmore_, William thought. Richard couldn't be… "No," he said aloud to himself. "He can't be." William dismissed the idea from his head and went upstairs to have a "chat" with his son.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Luke walked into the bedroom and sighed as he got into the bed. He didn't look at Lorelai in the process. Lorelai looked up at him and smiled. "Who was at the door?" she asked.

"Taylor," he replied, looking down at his hands. "He wanted to tell us how sorry he is for our loss and gave us a five percent discount on our next purchase at Doose's."

"Well that's a surprise."

"Then he told me that I needed to mow the lawn because the grass is getting too long."

"And that's not." She noticed that he wasn't looking at her and moved closer to him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He turned his head and looked seriously into her eyes. "Lorelai, what are we doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

Luke pointed to the bed. "In this bed…last night. What are we doing?"

"If you have to ask, then it's been _way _too long."

"Lorelai, I'm serious." Luke took a deep breath. "What Patty said, about us not being one of those couples that split after losing a kid, she was wrong. That's exactly what we are. I knew it the day you asked me for the separation. So I'm gonna ask you again: What are we doing?"

"I…I don't know." Luke looked away and shook his head. Lorelai put her hand on his arm. "But I know I don't want it to end."

"Neither do I."

There was something about the look in his eyes that frightened her. She knew what he wanted out of this, but she was afraid of getting too intimate. Too close. Too attached. She didn't know if she could give him what he wanted.

"Luke," she called softly as she kissed his shoulder. "I just want to be happy."

"I do too."

"Luke." He turned his head slightly. "I miss him."

He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. He turned and held Lorelai as she began to cry. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I miss him too honey. I miss him too."

* * *

Jess hated Rory- well, at the moment he did. First he was forced to spend the night at his uncle's in-laws, then he was dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn. When he tried go back to sleep, Rory dumped a bucket of icy cold water on his head. Ok, so maybe it wasn't a bucket, but it was still icy cold. While the rest of the house lay peacefully in their beds, Jess was forced to get up, dressed, and in Rory's car. They were headed down the highway, their destination unknown to Jess. He was falling asleep when Rory started to shake him. 

"Jess, wake up," Rory said. "We're here." Jess slowly opened his eyes. He realized that the car had stopped moving. "Come on. Get out of the car."

"Where are we?" Jess asked.

"Just get out."

Jess got out of the car and stretched his limbs. He froze when he saw something in the distance. When a car zoomed past them, making him jump, he knew exactly where they were. Rory walked over to the wooden cross and placed a toy truck beside it to join the other toys, flowers, and unlit candles. Jess exhaled slowly and stood beside Rory. A chill ran down his spine when he saw his cousin's name written across the cross. A laminated photo of the little boy was nailed at the top.

"I'll never forget that night," Rory said suddenly, her voice strained from trying to hold back tears. "It was the middle of the night and I got a call from Mom and Dad. The patrolman on his way to tell me about the accident was stuck in the snow storm, so they called to tell me. I was so shocked and scared, I called you. I wanted you to come with me to Stars Hollow. He looked so helpless. He was so tiny and he had all these tubes sticking out of him and there were monitors beeping everywhere. I'd never seen Dad look so helpless before in my life. And idiot got behind the wheel and took a little boy from his family. He died too young."

"Why did you bring me here Rory?" Jess asked. He was fighting back his own tears. He felt his own pain for Danny. Knowing what happened was half the battle and now that he was here, where it happened, it pierced his heart and soul.

"Because today's Danny's death anniversary. Our family lost him one year ago today Jess. I wanted you to see this, to be here, because I want you to see what caused this family to hurt so much in the last year. And whatever pain you're feeling right now," Rory paused as her voice started to crack, "it's a million times worse for Mom and Dad." Jess was about to say something, but Rory continued talking. "We're going to go back to my grandparents' house so Mom and Dad can spend today by themselves. I want you to know my grandfather took what happened harder than anyone else, other than my parents. He was very close to Danny, so today is going to be very hard on him. Choose your words wisely and don't do anything to upset him or anyone else."

"I won't…I mean I will…I mean…I'll try not to upset anyone."

"Good," Rory said wiping the tears from her eyes. They stood in silence for a while longer, then she turned to him and asked, "He adored you Jess. You know he did. Why didn't you come?"

"Because he adored me and I knew he did."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Lorelai wants to make a special dinner for Luke using some of his mother's recipes. When she has trouble with one of the recipes, she goes to William for help who is very touched. Present Day- Luke reluctantly helps Jackson with a problem at the inn. Lorelai spends time with Mikey._**

**A/N: I apologize for taking such a long time to update. My rant in the last chapter's A/N seemed to radiate anger (lol) and I'm really not an angry person. Believe it or not, I can usually be a cool, calm, collected person. The whole angry thing doesn't really work for me so I'm going back to my zen attitude. I just wanted to say that I'm looking for some affiliates for my board so if anyone knows someone or has a site and would like to become an affiliate, just contact me and we'll talk.**


	26. The Cannoli

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**Chapter 26-The Cannoli**

_**Present Day**_

"Stop it," Luke barked at Jackson from the ground behind the stove.

"What?" Jackson asked innocently.

"You're moving the flashlight."

"I am not."

"The light's not staying in the same place. You're moving the damn flashlight."

"Whatever. I'll try not to move." Jackson mumbled an apology and tried to stay still. Two minutes later, Jackson's hand twitched and the light moved causing Luke's tool to slip from it's place and cut his hand.

"God damn it!" Luke yelled. He dropped the tool and got to his feet, holding his bloody hand. "I told you not to move the light!"

"My hand was cramping!"

"Yeah, well, now _mine_ is bleeding!" Luke wrapped his hand in a rag. "Jesus Christ! My eight year old son could hold a friggin' flashlight steady!"

"Well maybe you should have asked him to hold it!"

"I would have if I had the choice!"

"Hey, what's all the yelling about in here?" Lorelai asked as she and Sookie walked into the kitchen. She spotted the rag wrapped around Luke's hand and the bits of blood seeping through. "Oh my God, Luke! What happened to your hand?" She walked over to him and removed the towel, flinching at the sight of the deep wound in the middle of his palm.

"Apparently Jackson thought we were making shadow puppets instead of fixing your stove."

"Is the stove fixed?" Sookie asked.

"Gee Sookie, does this tell you anything?" Luke held up his hand so Sookie could see the gash.

"Ah! Stop it! Put that away!" Sookie yelled. "Jackson, what did you do?"

"It was an accident. He was the one that compared me to an eight year old child."

"I cut myself with a screwdriver! At least Mikey can hold a flashlight still," Luke said. Jackson was about to say something, but was interrupted when Michel walked in.

"Lorelai, there is a ch…oh my God!" Michel yelled when he saw Luke's hand. He shut his eyes and looked away. "That cannot be sanitary!"

"Ok, so maybe something good came outta this," Luke smiled.

"Alright mister," Lorelai said putting her hands on Luke's shoulders from behind and leading him to the door. "We need to get that cleaned up. Maybe we should take you to the doctor."

"I don't like doctors."

"Yeah, but you might need stitches and a shot."

"I don't like shots."

"Your hand could get infected and then we'll have to cut it off. How would you like that?"

"I just came in here to tell Lorelai that the small child her to see her," Michel stated.

"A small child came to the inn looking for me?"

"Yes. The one that looks like the bleeding lumberjack."

"You mean Mikey, my _son_?"

"Whatever. He is here and he is staring at me."

"Shoot. I forgot he got out of school early. Sookie, can you take Luke to the hospital for me?"

"Sorry Lorelai, but I have to get dinner ready and with the stove acting funny, it's going to take twice as long," Sookie said sympathetically. "Hey! What about Jackson?"

"What _about_ Jackson?" Jackson asked.

"Why don't you take Luke to the hospital?"

"No, no, no," Luke said. "I am _not_ getting in a car with him."

"It's him or Michel babe," Lorelai said. Luke just sighed. "I thought so. Now go. Your hand is grossing me out."

Luke and Jackson exited using the back door so Mikey wouldn't see his father's hand and freak out. Once in the car and on the road, the two men sat in silence. "I didn't mean to move the light," Jackson said suddenly.

"I didn't mean to compare you to Mikey," Luke said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why aren't we friends anymore?"

"You know why," Luke said as he looked down at his hand.

"It's been twenty years. Just because Kevin…"

"Let's just get to the hospital," Luke interrupted, not wanting to get into this conversation again- especially not with Jackson. "I don't wanna bleed to death in your truck." Jackson nodded and drove in silence. Luke applied more pressure on his hand, hoping the pain would make him pass out.

* * *

_**1985**_

"Lorelai?" William called as he walked into the house. Luke had given Lorelai a copy of the house key since she and Rory were always there anyway. He also wanted to show her how serious he was about their relationship. He walked over to the play pen as he passed through the livingroom. He smiled at Rory, who had just woken up. He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen with him. "Lorelai."

Lorelai turned around at the sound of William's voice. "Ah jeez. I didn't hear you come in," she said, startled.

"'Ah jeez'? You're spending far too much time with my son. This little one was awake so I picked her up. I hope that's alright."

"Oh, of course. She loves spending time with you."

"The feeling is mutual. So, what's this big emergency I needed to rush over here for?"

"Well, I was hoping you can help me with something."

William put Rory in the swing and sat at the table. "I'm listening."

"I wanted to cook Luke dinner." William looked up at her skeptically. "I know what you're thinking. Just let me finish. This weekend, Luke was telling me about his favorite foods and I got the idea to cook him a special dinner with some of those dishes."

"I'm not much of a cook. That's Luke's thing around here. Lorelai, I wish I could help, but…"

"But you're the only one that can help! I can't ask Luke or it won't be much of a surprise. And you're the only person in town that knows this recipe. Please Dad, it's really important to me that I do this for Luke."

William stared at Lorelai in shock. "Um, Lorelai, did you call me…uh…dad?"

"Oh," Lorelai said, realizing she had called him dad. "I'm sorry William. I didn't mean to…"

William raised his hand to silence her. "It's alright. Actually, it felt right. Don't you think?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah. It did."

"Alright sweetie, what do you need help with?"

"Just one recipe. I got the other stuff pretty much down with Sookie's help."

"Here, let me take a gander at it." Lorelai handed William the recipe card. His breath was caught in his throat. He recognized the handwriting immediately and ran his fingers over the words, seeing her face in his mind. "Lana," he whispered.

"I know this was your wife's specialty. It's one of Luke's favorite and I'd like to at least try to make it for him. I love your son and with all that he's done for me and Rory, I just want to do something special for him. It's the least I can do. So, can you help me Dad?"

"You know, this recipe has been in my family for many, many, _many_ years. It came all the way from Italy. My mother taught Lana how to cook the chicken cannoli and she said to me, 'William, marry this girl.' And I did. Lana made the best chicken cannoli anyone had ever tasted. When Luke was three or four, Lana taught him how to make this. It was the first thing he learned to cook. This is a _very_ special recipe to me and to Luke." William looked up at Lorelai. "The first thing you'll want to do is make sure you have all the ingredients."

Lorelai smiled. "I do. Sookie and I had to look all over town to get it all, but it's all here."

"Alright. Now, you see this cup? This is for measuring the liquids. And those little scoopy things are for measuring the solid food." William helped Lorelai through the cooking process. While they waited for the cannoli to finish, William thought it would be a good opportunity to ask her a few questions. "So Lorelai, you've never told me anything about your parents."

"What did you want to know?"

"Well, what do they do?"

"Mom's in the DAR…" William gave her a 'what's the DAR?' look. "Daughters of the American Revolution. And Dad works for an insurance firm."

"You didn't get along with them? Well, of course you didn't. Then you wouldn't be here."

"It was more of my mom I couldn't stand. She's so demanding. Everything has to perfect. It really irritated me. Dad's a behind the scenes kinda guy. He worked a lot, but every now and then we had our moments. When I was little, I used to sit in his study with him and read. All the toys that I got as a kid I was allowed to play with- the ones Mom didn't know about- were from him. And when I was like ten, I told him I wanted to go to Yale just like him. I even hung his diploma in my room. I can still remember the look in his eyes when I said that. He was so happy. I think that was the last time I made him happy." Lorelai looked down at her hands as she thought of her father. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and stood, looking away from William. "I should check on the food."

"Has Luke met them?"

"No, but he wants to."

"So do I. What did you say their names were again?"

"Richard and Emily."

"From Hartford?"

"Yup."

William laughed to himself.Richard Gilmore of Hartford, who worked for an insurance firm, was Lorelai's father. _I knew it,_ William thought to himself. He knew there was something oddly familiar about Richard.

"Something wrong Dad?" Lorelai asked.

"Huh? Oh no," William replied. "So, how's the cannoli?"

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai stood at the bottom of the stairs as she stared at Mikey, who was sitting contently in front of the TV watching _Fairly Odd Parents._ Mikey had always been a quiet boy, but he had gotten even quieter after Danny's death. Mikey loved his little brother deeply. Just as there was a bond between sisters, there was one between brothers. In the short time Danny was in his life, he connected with him on a level no one ever could. Mikey still wasn't old enough to completely understand what had happened to his baby brother. All he knew was he wasn't a big brother and he was back to being the baby.

Lorelai walked into the livingroom and sat on the couch. "Hey sweetie," she said warmly to her son. Mikey just looked over his shoulder at his mom. "Whatcha doin'?" Mikey blinked a few times before turning back to the TV. He wasn't ignoring Lorelai, although his silence said otherwise. Lorelai wasn't ready to give up just yet. "This is a funny cartoon." Mikey nodded. "Have you seen this episode already?" Another nod. "Good. Then I want you to turn the TV off and come to the kitchen."

Mikey turned his head again and raised a brow. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I want to teach you something."

"In the kitchen?"

"Yes. In the kitchen." Mikey just stared at Lorelai. "Mikey, do not stare at me like that. I thought you'd like to do something with your mother, but I guess I was wrong. I'll just have to wait for Jess to get home and I can teach him."

Lorelai got up and headed to the kitchen. She knew that Mikey would come running to see what she had wanted to teach him. He loved Jess, but he got jealous of his cousin when either of his parents wanted to talk to or spend time with him, which was actually becoming a familiar sight.

"Mom!" Mikey whined. "I don't want you to teach Jess!"

"But you don't want Mommy to teach you remember?"

"No! I do! I want you to teach me, not Jess."

"I don't know…"

"Mom!"

"Ok, ok. I'll teach you."

"Good," Mikey smiled. "What are you teaching me?"

Lorelai smiled and took out her keys. She walked over to the counter and unlock what was supposed to be a liquor cabinet- but held very little liquor bottles- and pulled out a box. She opened the box and pulled out a stack of index cards. "Mikey, we're going to cook cannoli."

* * *

_**1985**_

When Luke got home later that day, he had gotten the surprise of a lifetime. Lorelai, his Lorelai, had made him dinner. He was wary at first, but Lorelai insisted the food was edible. He sat at the table, that was so nicely set, and sat across from Lorelai as they ate salad. Then came the crucial part: the cannoli. Luke was surprised when she took it out of the oven where it had been kept warm.

"Lorelai, what's this?" he asked as he stared at the food on his plate.

"Chicken cannoli," she replied.

"Chicken cannoli?"

"Yeah. You said it was your favorite."

"I know that, but how did you know how to make this?"

"I used your mom's recipe. I hope that's ok."

Luke looked down at the cannoli and then back up at Lorelai and smiled. "Yeah. It's ok." He sighed and picked up his fork. "You made my mother's cannoli."

"I _tried _to make your mother's cannoli. It's probably nothing like it."

"Let's see about that." He cut a piece off and picked it up with his fork. He took a deep breath and put it in his mouth. "Oh…my God!" he exclaimed a few seconds later.

"What? Is it bad?" Lorelai asked. "Urgh! I knew I screwed it up. Here. You don't have to eat the rest. I'll just throw it out."

"No!" he said after finishing th food in his mouth. He blocked her from taking his plate. "That was a good 'oh my God.' Lorelai, this cannoli is amazing!"

"It is? You're not lying just to make me feel better are you?"

"No, seriously Lorelai. This…this is amazing! If you don't believe me, taste it yourself."

Luke cut off a piece for Lorelai and put it in her mouth. "I made that!"

"Yes," Luke laughed. He put the plate down and pulled Lorelai into his arms. "It's amazing and so are you. Thank you for doing this." He placed a kiss on her lips.

"Your dad helped me with the cannoli."

"Really?"

"Yup. And he said to give to you." Lorelai pulled a note out of her pocket and handed it to Luke.

Luke took a step back and opened it. Inside were four simple words: _Luke, marry this girl.

* * *

_

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai smiled as she watched her son happily finish his cannoli. They were doing a test run before making more for dinner. "This is good," Mikey remarked.

"And now you can brag that you helped make it," Lorelai smiled.

"I think this is my new favorite food."

"It's Dad's favorite food too."

"Really?" Lorelai nodded as she ate her helping of cannoli. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can. Unless it's about where babies come from. Then you have to talk to Dad."

"Are you and Dad fighting?"

Lorelai nearly choked on her food. "Mikey, what would make you think Dad and I are fighting?"

"Sometimes you're really mad at him and he gets really mad and then you guys yell. I don't like it when Dad yells. He's scary. And sometimes I'm scared he'll hurt you."

"I know your dad yells sometimes and it's scary, but honey, he would never hurt me."

"I guess."

"No Michael. Your father would never, _ever_ hit me or do something to hurt me. You shouldn't be afraid of your dad. I know he can be mean and scary sometimes, but he's just…frustrated."

"About Danny."

"What?"

"He's frustrated because Danny died."

"Mikey, you have to understand when moms and dads lose a baby, it's really hard on them. Sometimes they say and/or do things they never thought they would do."

"Are you guys getting a divorce?"

"What? No! Of course not. Why would you think a thing like that?"

"I heard Miss Patty and Babette saying that sometimes when people lose a kid, they break up and get a divorce."

"Mikey, your dad and I love each other very much. We're not getting a divorce."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Can I ask one more question?"

"Sure."

"If Dad loves the cannoli so much, how come we never eat it?"

"Your dad doesn't like to be reminded of your grandparents."

"Grandpa Richard and Grandma Emily?"

Lorelai laughed. "No sweetie, that's me. I'm talking about your dad's parents, your Grandma Lana and Grandpa William."

"Did Rory know them?"

"Not your Grandma Lana. She died when your dad was your age."

"Kelly met Grandpa Will too?" Lorelai nodded. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"That I've never got to meet them. Rory and Kelly got to meet Grandpa William, but I didn't and I don't think it's fair."

"I don't think it's fair either," Luke said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Luke," Lorelai said surprised. "I didn't hear you come in. How's your hand?"

Luke held up his bandaged hand. "Five stitches and a tetanus shot. I have to keep it wrapped for a few days, but I'll survive."

"Good. We're glad to hear that. Aren't we Mikey?"

"Yup," Mikey smiled.

"Mikey, since we're all done in here, why don't you go upstairs and finish your homework?"

"I already finished it."

"Then how about you clean your room? And I suggest not stuffing everything under the bed." Mikey smiled in embarrassment and headed upstairs. Luke ruffled his hair as he passed. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Luke walked over to the table and looked down at the empty plate Mikey left on the table. "Did you make cannoli?"

"Yeah," Lorelai admitted sheepishly.

"We never have cannoli anymore. Why the sudden change?"

"Well," Lorelai said as she stood and cleared Mikey's plate. "You hurt yourself and I thought you'd want something to cheer you up. Like you said, we never have cannoli anymore so I thought you'd like it. Besides, I've been meaning to teach Mikey how to make it for a while."

Luke walked up behind Lorelai and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him. He leaned down and kissed her. "Thank you," he said as he rubbed her arms. He smiled at her before heading to the refrigerator.

Lorelai remained standing in front of the sink, touching her lips. They were still tingling from Luke's kiss. She watched him as he rummaged thought the refrigerator. He was swinging back into their routine. Not the facade they'd been living for the past year, but the one they'd been living for twenty years as husband and wife. She wasn't sure if she wanted that or not.

Luke's head popped out of the refrigerator and he looked in her direction. "You want a beer?"

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- William and Richard walk in on Luke and Lorelai. William has a talk with Luke that takes an unexpected turn. Present Day- Luke and Lorelai continue to get closer and patch things up. Jess notices the change in Luke and Lorelai's attitudes and calls Luke on it._**

**A/N: I am _sooooooo_ sorry I took so long to update. Things are getting crazy at work and they have me working six days a week and I'm in the middle of finals at school. I had very little time to write and stuff. I know the stuff I this chapter doesn't seem relevant, but trust me, it's important- sorta. Ok, now I have to finish watching _Reunion_ so I bid ye ado.**


	27. Fathers

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**Chapter 27- Fathers**

_**Present Day**_

Lorelai lay in bed as she watched Luke sleep. She watched the gentle and steady rise and fall of his chest. He slept closer to her now. When Jess returned, he slept as far from her as he could without falling off the bed. Now he slept in the middle of the bed, his body touching hers. They were lovers again, but both feared it was just sex for their partner- neither voiced their concerns. Lorelai put her hand on his bare chest and moved it across and back, gently rousing her husband out of sleep.

Luke let out a moan as he slowly woke. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. "What time is it?"

"Six," Lorelai replied. "You better get up before you're late."

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"I'm trying to get you to feed me."

"Because that's all I'm good for. Food and sex."

"Oh Luke. No. You forgot abut the coffee." Luke chuckled and leaned over to kiss Lorelai. "What about the diner?" she asked between kisses.

"They can wait an hour." Just as things were starting to heat up, the sound of the doorbell rang through out the house.

"I better get that."

"What? Lorelai. No. Come on. This isn't as fun without you."

"It'll only take a minute."

"So will this." Lorelai shook her head and smiled as she threw some clothes on. Luke groaned and fell back into the pillows. "You have one minute. Any longer and I'm going after you."

"One minute." Lorelai gave him a kiss before leaving the room. She hurried to the front door. She was shocked to see who was standing on the other side. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Lorelai, that is no way to greet a guest," Richard scolded.

"Sorry. Hi Dad. What are you doing here?"

"Well good morning to you too."

"Dad."

"I was in the neighborhood…"

"In Stars Hollow?"

Richard looked down at his hands. "I was going to go to the cemetery."

"Oh. Well, um, would you like to come in then?"

"I would like that." Lorelai stepped aside to let Richard into the house.

"What's that?" Lorelai asked, pointing to the book in her father's hand.

"It's a book Lorelai."

"I know it's a book Dad. What book is it?" Lorelai's body stiffened when Richard showed her the book. "Dad, this is Danny's favorite book."

"I know," Richard said sadly as he touched the cover. "He used to ask me to read it to him every chance he had."

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Richard sniffled a little and then stood tall, tears eminent in his eyes. His body language was saying he was being strong, but his eyes told a different story. "I am going to read to my grandson just as I had many times before."

"Dad…"

"Lorelai, please. I…I want to read to Daniel. I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by to see you first." Lorelai wasn't sure how or when it happened, but she found herself hugging her father, crying into his clean, pressed shirt. He stroked her hair and held her as she cried.

"Lorelai, who was at the…" Luke trailed off when he saw father and daughter. They pulled apart and Lorelai wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Richard. Hello. I didn't realize you were coming over."

"It's a spur of the moment visit," Richard explained.

"Oh. Um. Ok. I'm…I'll just be…yeah." Luke headed back upstairs to the bedroom. Even after knowing Richard and being married to his daughter for twenty years, Luke still felt uncomfortable around Richard at times. Well, you would too if the first time you met you wife's father was when he walked in on you having sex with her.

* * *

_**1985**_

Luke was laying on his bed with his eyes closed, slowly drifting off into sleep when the bed suddenly shook. He groaned and peeked through one eye to see Lorelai beside him. After school, Lorelai had gone to work and Luke had baseball practice. He was resting while she put Rory down for her afternoon nap in the nursery.

"She's asleep," Lorelai informed.

"That's nice," Luke said, his eyes still shut. He felt her lay beside him, her head resting on his arm, her arm on his chest, and one of her legs between his. Suddenly, her hand started making circular motions on his chest and then began to move south. "Lorelai, your hand."

"What about my hand?"

"I know what you're trying…" His eyes flew open when her hand found it's way down his pants.

"What were you saying?" she asked innocently as she touched him.

"Lorelai," he groaned. "We can't."

"Oh, I beg to differ. I think we can and this part of you seems to agree with me."

"We just put Rory down."

"We'll be quiet." Luke chuckled. "What?"

"You? Quiet? Yeah right." Lorelai playfully punched Luke's arm and he just started laughing.

"We'll see how funny this is when you're sleeping alone tonight," Lorelai said threateningly as she got off the bed.

Luke grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving. "Come on babe. I was playing around. Don't leave."

Lorelai smiled and jumped on top of him. She leaned down and kissed him. "I would never, _ever_ leave you Luke Danes."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She kissed him again, sealing their agreement. She faked a shocked gasp when she felt his hands on the exposed skin between her jeans and shirt. "Why Lucas, whatever are you doing?" He just smiled and rolled them over so he hoovered above her. "But what if someone catches us?" she asked, still faking innocence.

"Hold your tongue," he said as he leaned down for another kiss.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

"Luke," Lorelai giggled as Luke wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and started kissing her neck. "Luke, stop."

"Why?" he asked, knowing very well she didn't want him to stop.

"The kids are gonna be home any minute."

"It's about time we taught them about the birds and the bees."

Lorelai turned around and kissed him quickly on the lips. "We already gave Kelly 'the talk' and Mikey's too young for it."

"You act like they've never walked in on us having sex. Mikey's seen us twice, Kelly four times, and Rory…poor kid. I lost count after twelve."

She took a step back and mocking pointed a disciplinary finger at him. "Lucas Danes, you better behave or you're not getting 'dessert' tonight."

Luke threw his arms in the air in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll be a good boy…for now."

"Mom, Dad, you guys home?" they heard Rory call. A minute later, she walked into the living room with Jess following closely behind. "Hey, you guys are here."

"We do live here babe," Lorelai teased.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm just surprised you guys are here at this time. What? You guys don't work anymore or something?"

"Ah, the joys of owning your own business," Luke replied. "I opened so Caesar's closing."

"And I like to annoy Michel," Lorelai smiled. "Seriously, Dad and I were cleaning up before Grandpa got here. He's 'in the neighborhood' so he's coming for dinner. Come on. We need to clean your room because Lord knows anything that goes wrong in the world is Mommy's fault. Luke." Lorelai nudged in Jess's direction as she and Rory headed to Rory's room.

Luke nodded and watched as Jess pulled out a book from his back pocket and sat on the couch to read. Luke cleared his throat to catch his nephew's attention. "With Richard coming to dinner, it means you need to clean up. And I'm not just talking about your room. You are to dress appropriately- Friday night dinner attire."Jess grunted in response. "I'm serious Jess. You better be on your best behavior tonight."

"So does Richard know you and Lorelai are separated?"

Luke's expression fell as his face turned pale. "Wh…"

"Richard, your father-in-law, does he know you and his only daughter are separated?"

"Jess…"

Jess shut his book and looked up at his uncle. "I mean, it's obvious. When I got here, you and Lorelai looked like you couldn't stand being in the same room together. Now you two put on this act like you're all lovey-dovey, rainbows and sunshine. Next thing you know, you'll be singing Carpenter songs."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"The hell I don't. I know disasters when I see it. Look at Liz's track record."

"Jess," Luke said in a low voice so Rory and Lorelai wouldn't hear. "Whatever you're thinking, quit. Lorelai and I are fine. She's been moody because…well, you know why. It's been a year and she's hurting. Look, I don't want her to get anymore upset. Not after I've worked this hard to get her to be happy again. So just drop it ok?"

Jess examined his uncle's face. Something was still off about this whole situation. "Fine."

"And not a word of this conversation to Lorelai or your cousins."

"My lips are sealed."

"Good. Now go upstairs and clean your room."

"Why? It's not like Richard's going to go up there."

"Go!"

Jess rolled his eyes and sighed as he headed upstairs. Luke let out a sigh. Great, now Jess was suspicious. He just hoped there wouldn't be anything to be suspicious about when this was all over. Jess knew there was something up and he knew Rory knew. But he, unlike Rory, wasn't going to pretend not to see it.

* * *

_**1985**_

William looked up when he heard someone enter the store. "Why Mr. Gilmore," he greeted with a smile. He stood and shook Richard's hand. "I didn't realize you were coming today. We didn't have an appointment did we?"

"Oh no," Richard replied. "Floyd asked me to come by to verify the blue prints before you and your son began construction."

"I apologize, but I don't have them with me at the moment."

"Oh?"

"Luke took them home. He likes to look over his projects. Study up on them and such."

"Really, why that's one smart boy you have."

"Indeed he is. You know, I bet they're at the house. We can go over there and get them out of his room if you'd like."

"If it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all. Come along. Jerry! You're in charge."

"Oh, should I drive?"

William shook his head. "That's alright. I live within walking distance."

"We're going to walk?"

"If that's ok with you."

"I guess we can. I've been meaning to look around town since the last time I was here."

"Very well then. Let's go."

William and Richard walked out of the store. They made small chit chat as they made their way through town. William pointed out all the important places in town to Richard, adding a little story here and there about how the Danes family knew the owners of the establishments. By the time they reached Peach Street, William had pointed out nearly the whole town.

"Your family seems to be prominent fixtures in town," Richard remarked.

"The Danes family was one of the first families to live in Stars Hollow," William said proudly.

"The town must be proud of Luke then."

"Oh they are. You know, Luke is going to be the first Danes and person from Stars Hollow to attend an Ivy League school."

"Speaking of which, I know Luke has his heart set on Harvard, but I think he should keep his academic options open. I mean, Harvard's a long way from here and I do believe you mentioned him having a girlfriend."

"Yes, he has one." _Your daughter_, he added mentally.

"I'm sure she'd love to have him closer and I'm sure you would too. Has he considered Yale?"

"I'm not sure."

"It's a lot closer than Harvard."

"That it is."

"I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I'm a Yale alumni. I hope you don't mind, but I made a few calls, pulled some strings, and put a good word in with the admissions office in Luke's favor."

"You did?"

"I hope that's alright. He just seems like a great young man and I thought I'd do him a favor."

"No, no. That's great. Thank you Richard."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, this is my house." William and Richard headed down the path toward the Victorian style house. "It's probably upstairs in his room."

They headed up the stairs toward Luke's bedroom, thinking they were just imagining the faint noises in the background.

_Inside Luke's bedroom…_

Lorelai let out a soft pant and Luke continued his motions. She dug her nails into his back as he brought them closer to the edge and just as they were about to reach their climax, the door swung open and both teens turned their heads in fear of just being caught. Lorelai's eyes widened in shock and fear as she saw her father staring back at her.

"Lucas!" William yelled in anger having just walked in on his son having sex.

"Dad!" Luke said in shock.

"Dad," Lorelai said just as shocked as Luke.

"Lorelai," William said with a hint of disappointment.

"Lorelai!" Richard yelled angrily.

"Daddy," Lorelai said.

"Richard," Luke said.

Lorelai looked questionably at her boyfriend. "Richard?"

"Get off my daughter!" Richard's voice boomed through out the room.

Luke quickly rolled off of Lorelai and they sat up, covering their bodies with the bed sheets. Before anyone could say anything, Richard angrily stormed out of the room with William following shortly behind him. As soon as their fathers left the room, Luke and Lorelai quickly tossed some clothes on and ran after them.

"Daddy," Lorelai called as she chased her father out the door in one of Luke's flannel shirts and a pair of his boxers. "Daddy, wait! Daddy, please! Talk to me."

"How could you?" Richard asked angrily as he turned to face his daughter. "How could you go about having relations with…with…" He was too angry to finish his sentence.

"Daddy, please don't be mad."

"It's too late for that. Have you even thought about Rory and what this would do to her?"

"Of course I have! Rory means everything to me and so does Luke."

"And what does Luke have to say about Rory? Or does he even know about her?"

"Of course he knows about Rory! And he absolutely loves Rory. He adores her like she was his and she loves him too."

"What about you?" Richard asked, his voice softer now.

"I love him Daddy. I love him with all my heart and he loves me too. He makes me happy. I'm happy. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Yes Lorelai. I want you to be happy. I also want what's best for you." With that, Richard turned and walked away from his daughter. He got in his car and drove away.

_Back at the Danes house…_

Luke hurried down the stairs in nothing more than his boxers and was about to chase after Lorelai, but stopped when he saw his father standing at the bottom of the stairs with his arms crossed over his chest. "Dad, I…" Luke started.

"Do you know what you may have done?" William interrupted. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but William continued. "You may have just cost us a job Lucas!"

"Dad, I'm sorry…"

"How long have you been having sex under my roof?"

"Huh?"

"How long!" Luke looked away. "God damn it Luke! Do you have any respect for me at all!"

He looked up at his father again. "You know I do!"

"This is one hell of a way for you to show it!"

"Ah come on! You _knew_ Lorelai and I were having sex."

"Not under my roof when I'm not home!"

"You had to have known…"

"Don't you dare go there Lucas! What the hell has gotten into you? Huh? You're being reckless. You may have just cost us a job and a relationship between a father and his daughter." Luke lowered his head in shame. "You're not thinking anymore. Richard went through a lot of trouble to get your application to Yale and this is how you repay him?"

"He put my application in at Yale?"

"Yes! He thought he'd do something nice for you!"

"I didn't ask him to!"

"You're not even being grateful he did this. He was thinking about your girlfriend, which he just found out was his only daughter. He thought you would like to be closer to her."

"I didn't know. I didn't think…"

"No. You _don't_ think. Not since this relationship with Lorelai started getting serious." Luke raised a brow, wondering what his father was leading to. "Even before then you were getting into trouble. Don't think I don't know about your fight with Ivan Gleason. Two of your grades are slipping and you're getting sloppy at work. Then there's Rory. You need to think about that little girl too."

"I do think about her…"

"I don't want to see her or Lorelai hurt. Rory's getting attached to you and if anything were to happen and she were to loose you…do you know what that would do to her? You're the only father she knows. You need to start rethinking about this relationship and where it's headed. You need to ask yourself if this is worth it. You need to do the right thing."

Luke feared his father was going to tell him to break up with Lorelai. "I'm not leaving her," he stated firmly. "I don't care what you say, I'm not breaking up with Lorelai. I love her."

"I know you do," William said. He reached into his pocket and held something in the palm of his hand. "I just don't want you to hurt her." William took his son's hand and placed the object in his hand, closing Luke's hand around it. Luke stared at the fist containing the object. "I'm not telling you to break up with her son. I'm telling you to do what you think is right. And I know, you think this is right."

"Dad…I don't…I don't get. Why…why did you give this to me?"

"Because I want to see you and Lorelai…and Rory happy."

"But why now?"

"Because Luke, I'm dying."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Richard invites Luke and Lorelai to have dinner at the Gilmore residence. Familiar faces show up at the dinner. Lorelai is concerned about Luke's odd behavior. Present Day- When Rory goes to the cemetery to visit William's grave, she sees Jess and over hears him talking. Patty runs and idea by Luke and Lorelai about their anniversary._**

**A/N: Again, I'm sooooooooooo sorry about the long wait. It's just been really crazy with work and the holidays. I'm desperately trying to fit in writing time, but it's few and far between. **


	28. Never Good Enough

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**Chapter 28- Never Good Enough**

_**1985**_

Lorelai watched Luke as he moved the food around on his plate aimlessly. He had been out of it since the mishap with their fathers. Luke and William still hadn't heard from Richard so they weren't sure if they were out of another job. Lorelai assumed that was the problem and offered to talk to her father for them. But she knew better. She knew something else was occupying her boyfriend's mind, but she didn't want to press him for information.

"So how do you like your dinner?" Lorelai asked, breaking the silence. Luke remained clueless to his girlfriend's question. "Sookie made the actual meal. I just tossed the salad." Nothing. "I know you don't like red meat so I made the salad knowing you'd eat the salad- which you're not." Still nothing. Lorelai sighed and slammed her fork down onto her plate. "Luke!"

Finally, Luke looked up. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?" he asked.

"Babe, are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem kinda out of it."

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Practice and work tiring?"

"Um hm." Lorelai nodded and lowered her head, returning to her meal without talking to Luke. Suddenly, she felt his hand on top of hers and looked up. He smiled wearily at her. "Thank you for dinner. It's great."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Luke was about to get up to see who it was, but Lorelai stopped him. "I'll get it. You finish your dinner."Luke nodded and Lorelai went to answer the door. She was surprised to see who it was. "Daddy, what are you doing here?"

"Good evening Lorelai," Richard greeted. "I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment. I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day."

"Daddy, can we do this some other time? I'm kinda in the middle of dinner."

"Oh. I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll just be going then. I need to stop by the Danes home to apologize to Luke."

"He's here."

"I'm sorry?"

"He's here Daddy. Luke is here having dinner with me and Rory."

"Oh. Well then. Please tell him I'm sorry. I may have overreacted the other night."

"No. You acted like anyone else would have, but Dad, I really need to go."

"Ok. Just one more thing. I wanted to invite you and Luke to dinner at the house Friday night."

"Oh, I don't think…"

"We'll be there," Luke said as he suddenly appeared behind Lorelai. He stuck his hand out to Richard. "Mr. Gilmore, nice to see you again. I'm afraid our last meeting wasn't so pleasant."

"I'm afraid not," Richard laughed as he shook Luke's hand. "And please, call me Richard."

"With all do respect sir, but under the certain circumstances I think I'll stick to Mr. Gilmore."

"If you wish. Well, I'll let you two get back to your dinner. I'll see you Friday at seven. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"You too sir."

"Night Dad," Lorelai said. She shut the door as Richard headed down the path. She turned around and glared at Luke. "What are you thinking!"

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked as he headed back to the table.

"My father invited us to dinner!"

"Yeah and I told him we'd go."

"Exactly! Why would you do a crazy thing like that?"

"What's your problem? I have to meet them sooner or later."

"Yeah, but you see, you've already met my dad."

"Do you not want me to meet your parents or something?"

"No, honey, of course I do." Lorelai sat across from Luke. "I know, given time, Daddy will eventually like you…a little. My mother, on the other hand, is a _whole_ different story."

"I'm assuming it's bad?"

"She hates me so I'm pretty sure she'll hate you."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

"One more," Lorelai begged as she followed Luke around the diner.

"No," Luke stated firmly.

"Just one."

"I said no."

"A little, teeny, tiny bit. Please?"

"Who hear heard me say 'no'?"

"One cup and I'm done for the day.

Luke huffed. "I"ve heard that one before." Luke turned around and bumped into Lorelai. "Lorelai, stop it. Quit following me."

"But I need coffee!"

Luke rolled his eyes and walked past Lorelai to take another customer's order. "You need to be medicated and tossed in a padded room."

Lorelai faked hurt and shock. "My husband, the father of my children, wants to put in the loony bin. What are our children going to say?"

"They're going to say 'Daddy, what took you so long?'"

"I want coffee!"

"I want you to leave me alone!"

Kelly laughed to herself as she watched her parents act like themselves for once in the past year from her place at the counter. The playful banter and childish antics between her mother and father had returned. The pain of the loss of their youngest child had become a distant memory in their minds if even for a moment. Kelly returned to her food and continued to listen to her parents argue. It was coming to a close and she heard apologizes being made. _Oh great. They're gonna kiss_, Kelly thought to herself. She glanced up and sure enough, her parents stood a few feet in front of her in a full out make out session.

"Ah jeez, gross!" Kelly said loudly. "Not in front of your kid please!" Luke reached out and put his hand over Kelly's eyes. She laughed and swatted his hand away. "Ha, ha, ha. You're hilarious Dad." The couple pulled apart.

"Whatcha working on kid?" Lorelai asked.

"I have to memorize a poem for English class and then write a paper on how it pertains to life."

"What poem did you chose?"

"We don't choose. We were _assigned_ poems."

"Well what were you _assigned_?" Luke asked. Kelly handed her father the piece of paper with the poem printed on it. "Oh. Um…I don't do poetry." Lorelai playfully elbowed Luke in the gut.

Just then, Patty walked into the diner. She spotted the couple and rushed over. "You're both here, good," she said. "Babette and I have been losing our minds for the past week."

"Just for the past week?" Luke mumbled. Lorelai elbowed him again.

"About what Patty?" Lorelai asked politely.

"About what you two plan on doing," Patty replied in a 'duh' tone.

"Doing for…"

"You're anniversary!"

"Oh," Luke and Lorelai said together in a flat tone. They knew what was coming and it had completely slipped their minds. Before either of them could say something, Patty continued.

"There's, of course, the party, but I wasn't sure if you were still planning to renew your vows."

"Renew their vows?" Kelly asked looking from Patty to her parents. A smile crept across the teenage girl's face. "I didn't know you guys were going to renew your vows!"

"I completely forgot that we said that," Lorelai remarked, turning to Luke. "Do you remember that day?" she asked, playing with the collar of his flannel shirt.

"Of course I do," Luke smiled, forgetting the other people in the diner. "You said I wouldn't want you in twenty years so I said on our twentieth anniversary, we'd renew our vows so you knew how much I loved you."

"Yes you did." Lorelai smirked and pulled Luke in for a kiss.

"Guys!" Kelly shouted, breaking her parents apart. "Focus!"

"I had an idea," Patty said excitedly. "Instead of you _just_ renewing your vows, why don't we redo the whole ceremony? Flower girls, ring bearers, bride's maids, groom's men…the whole nine yards! So what do you say? How would you two like to get married all over again?"

* * *

_**1985**_

"We don't have to go," Lorelai stated as she and Luke sat in his truck parked in front of the Gilmore home.

"Lorelai, we're already here," Luke reminded her.

"Yes, but they don't know that. We can drive back home."

"Lorelai…"

"Luke."

"We're going to have dinner with your parents."

"Gah!"

Luke shook his head and got out of the truck. He made his way around and opened Lorelai's door. "Get out."

"But…"

"Out Lorelai!"

"Jeez, I'm getting out. Keep your pants on." Lorelai smiled mischievously. "Unless you wanna take them off."

"I will take them off." Lorelai's eyes lit up, thinking they were about to get out of dinner. "After we have dinner with your parents. Hand me the baby bag and the baby."

Lorelai handed Luke the baby bag and then Rory in her car seat. "I can carry something too."

"I got it," Luke said as they approached the front door. "Ring the bell Lorelai."

"So demanding today," she teased as she pressed the button. A minute later, the maid answered the door. "Hi. We're here to see Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore. I'm their daughter. Emily's probably told you I died or don't exist."

"Lorelai," Luke said in a warning tone.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are waiting in the livingroom," the maid said. "May I take your coats?"

"Sure. Thank you," Lorelai said as she handed the maid her coat. "Luke, give her your coat."

"I can't. I'm holding stuff," Luke said.

"I told you I'd carry something."

"Just show me where the livingroom is."

Luke followed Lorelai to the livingroom where the Gilmores were waiting for them. Richard was the first to notice them and stood to greet them. "Luke, Lorelai, you're here," he said with a smile. He walked over to them and shook Luke's free hand.

"We said we'd be here Dad," Lorelai remarked.

"I know that Lorelai. I just wasn't expecting you so early."

"We're five minutes early. How is that…"

"Good evening Mr. Gilmore," Luke interrupted, extending his free hand to Richard.

"Good evening Luke," Richard smiled, shaking Luke's hand. "Seems you have your hands full. Lorelai, why didn't you help him?"

"I…" Lorelai started.

"Anita! Come get the bags from Mr. Danes!" The maid hurried into the room and took the bags from Luke. "And please bring my granddaughter to the nursery." The maid nodded and did as she was asked. Luke grabbed the baby monitor from the bag before the maid took it.

"Hello Mrs. Gilmore," Luke said, holding his hand out to her.

When Emily said nothing, Richard stepped in. "Come, come. Have a seat you two."

Luke followed Lorelai to the empty couch. Emily said nothing to the couple. She simply stared at them with her disapproving glare. From the look she was getting from Richard, Lorelai knew he was waiting for a proper greeting. "Oh. Hi Dad," Lorelai smiled.

"Good evening Lorelai," Richard said.

Lorelai turned to Emily with a unenthusiastic look. "Mother."

"Lorelai," Emily said in the same condescending tone.

Richard handed the young couple some sodas and sat beside his wife. Luke and Lorelai sat on the couch beside each other as Richard and Emily sat in the couch across from them. It was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the mantle clock. It was a full five minutes before Richard decided he couldn't take the deafening silence and spoke.

"So Luke," Richard said, catching everyone's attention. "How is work?"

"It's, um, ok," Luke replied, his mind obviously had wandered.

"Luke's father owns a hardware store in Stars Hollow and they are going to be renovating my office," Richard told his wife.

"Delightful," Emily said sarcastically. She took a sip of her drink and rolled her eyes.

Lorelai quickly caught on to her mother and was about to speak, but again, Richard interjected. "How about your father? How is he?"

Lorelai then noticed the slight twitch in Luke's right hand. "He's doing…ok," Luke replied, hiding the painful truth from Richard and more importantly, Lorelai.

"Well that's wonderful. Tell him I say hello."

"I will." Luke forced a smile and then looked down. He suddenly became very interested in the rim of his glass.

"You need a refill there babe?" Lorelai asked, sensing there was something wrong. Luke shook his head. In the corner of her eye, Lorelai could see the distasteful look on her mother's face that said he were no good and not good enough. She wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong about Luke. "You know," she said, putting her hand on his knee, "Luke is in the top five of his class. Right honey?" Luke looked up at her and raised a brow. "Go ahead babe. Tell them about how smart you are."

"What are you doing?" Luke asked in a low tone, well aware of his girlfriend's antics.

"I'm just bragging about you honey. Come on. Don't be modest."

"Lorelai, stop."

Lorelai scooted closer to him and whispered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Just tell me what's bugging you."

"It's nothing so stop."

"Luke, I'm just…"

"I said, stop." Lorelai was shocked by Luke's sudden change in attitude. He spoke in a loud whisper but with forcefulness. He sounded…mad.

The older Gilmores watched the young couple as they argued. Though Richard knew better and stayed quiet, Emily did not. "Young man, I don't think it's very appropriate for you to speaking to our daughter in that manner right in front of us," she scolded.

"Stay out of this mom," Lorelai said.

"It's rude of him to be talking to you like that."

"I said it's none of your business!"

"It most certainly is to my business! You are my daughter!"

"Mom! Butt out! This is between me and Luke!"

"I don't like your tone young lady."

"Well, too bad."

"Young lady…"

"Oh my God! Just stop already!"

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore! I will not be spoken to like this in my own home!"

"Emily, Lorelai, can we not argue in front of our guest?" Richard pleaded.

"It's because of _him_ we're arguing!" Emily yelled.

"Luke. His name is _Luke_," Lorelai said angrily.

"Well _Luke_ should learn to behave properly in company."

"Don't talk like that about my boyfriend," Lorelai defended. "He's sitting right here."

"He yells at you and you defend him?"

"He didn't yell!"

"Emily, Lorelai, please," Richard said as he stood. "If you two insist on discussing this now, then we shall discuss it in my study."

"Fine," Emily said. She stood and waited for Lorelai to do the same. Richard gave his daughter a pleading look. She rolled her eyes and followed her parents into her father's study.

Emily didn't even wait for the door to close to begin yelling. "What in the world are you thinking?" she shrieked. "Are you insane Lorelai? What are you thinking dating that…that…" Emily searched her mind for a word to describe Luke, but none of the words seemed to fit.

"What? That what mother?" Lorelai asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Trash! He's trash!"

"He is not trash! _Christopher_ was trash and yet you _loved_ him!"

"He's the father of your child!"

"Yeah and he hasn't even tried to see Rory in three months! He knows where we are. He has my number. He can come by to see his daughter anytime he wants, but he doesn't! Luke sees her everyday!"

"He isn't good enough Lorelai. He works at a hardware store and drives a filthy truck!"

"So I'm not supposed to see him because he's not rich?"

"He's not good enough. He's common! He's blue collared!"

"You don't even know him Mom!" Lorelai yelled. "You're not _trying_ to know him!"

"I know enough," Emily said.

"No, you don't. Did you know he's going to Harvard?"

"I doubt that. Even if he was, he's still not good enough. Lorelai, you are a Gilmore and as a Gilmore, there are certain expectations you need to live up to. What's it supposed to say about this family if our only daughter marries a man like Luke?"

"It says he loves me!" Lorelai paused to take a deep breath. "He loves me Mom and I love him. Isn't that good enough?"

"Oh please, you are teenagers. You don't know what love is."

"Luke and I will know more about love than you will ever know mother." It suddenly because very silent in the study. So silent, Lorelai could hear Rory crying through the baby monitor in the other room. "Forget it. Daddy, I'm sorry but I can't do this. We shouldn't have come and we're not going to make that mistaken again. Luke and I are going to take Rory and we're going to go home. Don't expect us to _ever_ come back."

"Ever?" Emily asked in shock.

"You know, _Luke_ was the one that wanted to come here tonight. He was the one that wanted to meet you. I wanted to save him the hurt, but he insisted he meet you. I'll be sure he never makes that mistake again." With that, Lorelai turned on her heel and walked out of the office. "Luke, let's go." When she reached the living room, she was shocked to find it empty. "Luke? Luke, where are you?"

"Maybe he had the common sense to know where he didn't belong," Emily huffed.

"Stuff it Mom!" Lorelai snapped. "Luke! Luke, honey where are…" Lorelai trailed off when she heard a familiar voice come through the baby monitor.

"_Oh, I can do it_," Luke said through the monitor. _"Really, it's ok. I can take care of her_."

"_But…_" the maid started.

"_I'd like to take care of her. She gets really fussy and…just let me handle it ok? I won't tell Mrs. Gilmore. Hey there princess. What's the matter? Huh? Sh. It's ok baby girl. It's ok._ _Sh. Sh. No more tears. Yeah. There you go. You're such a good little girl aren't you. Yeah. I love you princess. I always will."_

Lorelai smiled. That was the Luke she knew and loved. She grabbed her bag and headed up the steps. Over the monitor, Richard and Emily could hear Lorelai telling Luke they should go. Luke didn't seem to put up a fight. A few minutes later, the couple walked downstairs with Rory and the baby bags.

"Bye Daddy," Lorelai said as she put her coat on.

"Lorelai, please don't do this," Richard begged.

Lorelai ignored her father's pleas. "I'll call you later." She kissed her father's check, then turned to Emily. "Goodbye mother," she said dully. She walked over to the door. "Luke, let's go!"

"Goodbye Mr. Gilmore," Luke said. "Mrs. Gilmore." He hurried over to Lorelai carrying the bags and the baby and they left.

Once the door shut, Richard turned to his wife. "How could you Emily!" he shouted.

"Me!" Emily asked, offended.

"Yes you! I told you he was a good man! you couldn't trust my word?"

"He's not good enough for her Richard!"

"Did you not hear her? He loves her! And she loves him!" Richard went to his study and a minute later walked out with his coat on and his car keys in hand.

"Where are you going?"

"To Starts Hollow. Damn it Emily, I refuse to lose my daughter because of your damn pride and your snobbish ways! I will never forgive you if I do!"

Richard arrived in Stars Hollow nearly half an hour after Luke and Lorelai had. He had gone to the inn, but Lorelai wasn't there. So he drove to the Danes home, praying it wasn't too late for him to be there. As he pulled up to the curb, he could see two figures sitting on the porch. It was William and Luke. William was talking and Luke was leaning forward on his knees as he listened. By the look on Luke's face, whatever William was saying wasn't good.

"How much time do you have?" Luke asked shakily.

William shrugged. "Depends," he replied. "A few years at the most." Luke covered his eyes with his right hand and began to cry. William pulled his son into his arms like he used to when Luke was a little boy and held him as he cried. "Come on son. It's going to be ok."

"I'm scared Pop. I'm really scared."

"I know son. So am I."

"I don't want you to die."

William let a few tears fall from his eyes as he hugged his son's head, placing a fatherly kiss on top of his head. "Neither do I son." A minute later, William looked up to see Richard at the bottom of his porch steps. "Richard." Luke immediately sat up and wiped his face.

"I'm sorry," Richard said, feeling guilty for hearing what he had. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"That's alright Richard," William said, gathering himself to the best of his ability. "I was just about to head back inside." He placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Don't stay out here too long. I don't want you catching cold." He gave Luke's shoulder a squeeze before heading inside.

"Lorelai's already asleep," Luke said, not sure what to say to Richard. "She's pretty worn out."

"Oh," Richard said, nodding his head in understanding. "Do you mind if I spoke with you?"

"Um. No. Have a seat."

Richard sat beside Luke. "I wanted to apologize for that horrendous dinner."

"Oh, Mr. Gilmore, you don't have to…"

"On the contrary. I do. What my wife said about you was unacceptable. I want you to know that she does not speak for this family. You're a good man Luke. I truly believe that and I owe you my sincerest apologizes."

"Um. Ok. Apology accepted."

"Good." Richard took a deep breath. "You lied."

"I beg your pardon?"

"When I asked you how your father was earlier, you said he was 'ok.' He isn't ok is he?"

Luke lowered his head, shut his eyes tightly, and shook his head. "Lorelai doesn't know. That's why I said he was ok."

"I'm…I'm sorry Luke. You shouldn't have had to go through what you did today. Especially not with this going on with you here at home. If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask." Richard patted Luke's knee and stood. "I should be going now. Goodnight Luke." Richard headed down the porch steps.

"Actually Mr. Gilmore," Luke called. "There's something I need to ask you."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Rory parked her car on the curb and stepped out of her car. She let out a soft sigh before heading across the grass. It had been a while since she had last come to the cemetery. She wasn't sure why. She used to come at least once a week, but ever since the accident her visits slowly decreased. Once a week turned into every other week, every other week turned into once a month, and so on. She felt guilty for not visiting so often.

Soon she had reached the gravesite she had come to visit. She looked down at the marble headstone. There, lying between the great uncle that used to spit and snarl and the gentle grandmother she had never met, was her grandfather she dearly missed.

Rory loved Richard with all her might. He was a loving, caring man that loved her and her siblings very much. But William had been the grandfather she had grown up with. Sure she had only known him for a few years, but she saw him every day of her life for five years. He had taught her many things, read her a bedtime story when her parents were out, and showed her there was more to life than money and fancy cars.

Rory placed a red rose one each headstone- even Louis's (even though he frightened her for as long as she knew him, he was still family and he deserved a little attention). She squatted down, kissed her hand, and pressed it against William's headstone.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around lately," she said solemnly. "It's just…it's hard, you know? Danny was only a little boy and he was taken away from us. You're taking care of him right Grandpa? Of course you are. You're probably fishing up there in that big pond in heaven. Daddy doesn't fish anymore. He took Mikey out the other day, but Mikey said that was the first time since the accident. The look in Mom and Dad's eyes are gone. The glimmer, the joy, the happiness…it's gone. It's all gone. They just aren't the same. I know I promised you I'd take care of them, but I can't Grandpa. I can't do this alone. I need some help. Please, just a little?"

Rory was about to leave when she spotted a figure in the distance. Was that…it couldn't be…Jess? He stopped at a familiar place and Rory slowly made her way toward him quietly as possible so not to make her presence known.

Jess squatted and put a teddy bear against the tombstone. "Hey buddy," he said softly. "Sorry I haven't been around lately. Things with your mommy and daddy and me haven't been so great, but that's my own fault. I messed up. I never understood why you liked me so much. But I guess it's what we all want right? To live with the mind of a child- innocent and with no worries. I'm so sorry I screwed up kiddo. I didn't want to, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to be a good role model. I wanted to be someone you could look up to. I wanted to be…I wanted to be like your dad."

Jess sniffled a little and wiped away the tears forming in his eyes. "Uncle Luke is the closest thing I have to a dad. Mine wasn't very cool. He bailed on me a long, long time ago. It'd be easy to blame him for who I am today, but the only person to truly blame is myself. I want you to know, I was here. I came for the funeral, but I stayed in the back. I didn't want people to get angry. Not a lot of people around here like me, but you know that. I miss you Danny boy. You were one of my only real friends around this place. One of the only people that believed in me. Your mom, dad, big sisters Rory and Kelly, and your big brother Mikey believed in me and I let them down. Worst of all, I let you down. That, I can never live with."

Rory ducked out of view as Jess headed back to his car. She had just seen a side of him she never knew existed. The side of him that he only allowed one person to see and he had just come to see that person. Danny would be the only one to ever really know Jess Mariano.

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Luke hears back from three ivy league colleges- Harvard, Yale, and Princeton- and his decision shocks everyone. Present Day- Jess overhears a playful, yet serious, remark from Luke to Lorelai, which puts their whole secret in danger._**

**A/N: I hope you like the _extra_ long update. I mean, it's only right to give you a friggin 11 page upsdate when it's been weeks since I last updated right? Lol. I've got two deleted scenes from this chapter I'll try to get up on my site ASAP. Well, I went back to school today (Gah!), but I doubt work's gonna be a problem seeing I was laid off (Double gah!). I wanna thank those whove been sticking with this fic and pushing me to update. Lol. I got off my lazy bum and did it! Lol. I have one thing to say about Tuesday's episode- LUKE YOU IDIOT! Ok, J Dog out! Lol.**


	29. Two Birds with one Stone

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the _Gilmore Girls_ or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing…**

**Chapter 29- Two Birds with one Stone**

_**Present Day**_

Luke Danes was never a man of words. It was safe to say he kept to himself and let others know very little about the man in the flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap. He was a damn good cook and coffee supplier and a loving father and husband. That's all people needed to know. But Kelly Danes wasn't people. She was Luke's daughter. She felt she had a right to know her father's past, but rather than asking him she decided to Nancy Drew it.

Earlier in the day, after story hour, she dragged her sister upstairs to their old, dusty attic. No one ever went up there. It was where the bad memories were packed away and forgotten. Some of Danny's things had found their way up there to rest in a box beside the one marked "Dad's stuff" written in their father's shaky handwriting.

"We shouldn't be up here Kelly," Rory whispered to her sister. "What if Mom and Dad hear us?"

"Relax," Kelly said. "Jess is gonna go down there to distract them in a few minutes."

"You're trusting Jess as our backup? Ok, we're gonna be in deep trouble."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Hey, you're the one that trusted him enough to bring him into a house full of people that hate him." Rory glared at her sister. "Sorry. Strike that from the record."

"What are you looking for anyway?"

"I don't know," Kelly replied as she rummaged through a box. "Something, anything that'll tell us something about Dad."

"Why don't you just ask him what you want to know?"

"Because this is much more fun."

Rory rolled her eyes and noticed a box tucked away beside a big brass coat rack Emily had given Luke and Lorelai for Christmas one year and under the coffee table she had given them for their anniversary a few months later. It was a fairly small box so it wasn't surprising they would have looked over it on their first sweep of the attic. Rory gently pulled the box out from it's hiding place. It seemed older than the other boxes. Much more fragile. It hadn't seen any kind of light in twenty years. When she opened it, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Hey, what's that?" Kelly asked as she walked over to Rory.

"I'm not sure," Rory replied, still in shock. "It's a box of…Harvard stuff."

"Harvard? But you go to Yale."

"Thanks for the update Kel."

"I'm just wondering why we have a box of Harvard stuff. What's in there?"

"Shirts, sweaters, sweats, jackets, hats, banners, pamphlets…oh my God. There's baby Harvard stuff in here!"

"Maybe Grandpa Will was a Harvard man."

"No way. Grandpa never went to college."

"What about Dad's cousin Paul? Or Jim?"

"Why would we have Paul and Jim's stuff in out attic?"

"I don't know."

"I know I wanted to go to Harvard for a really long time, but I've never seen this stuff before. It looks…older."

"Yeah. I mean look at those designs! Are those pictures?"

Rory picked up a stack of pictures. They were of Luke and Lorelai and another couple sporting Harvard shirts and caps. Rory and Kelly had never seen the other couple in their lives, but they looked so familiar. As Rory neared the end of the box, she found three pieces of paper at the very bottom. She picked them up, reading each to herself. _Dear Lucas Danes, we're proud to announce you have been accepted into Harvard University._ Rory's jaw dropped. It was Luke's stuff. He had been a Harvard man! She looked at the next paper and it was an acceptance letter from Yale. The last was from Princeton. He had been accepted to _three_ ivy league colleges and his own kids didn't even know. But why would he hide something like that? It was something he should have been proud to have gone to Harvard or Yale or Princeton.

"Oh man," Kelly said, looking at the back of the picture of her parents and the other couple.

"What?" Rory asked as she stood up.

"Take a look at this." Kelly handed Rory the photo, showing her what was written on the back.

_Feb. 1985- Luke, Lorelai, Kev, and Sarah_

"Oh my God. That's Kevin Gleason and Sarah Millar! Those were Mom and Dad's best friends growing up. But look what I found." Rory handed Kelly the acceptance letters. "It seems Dad was accepted to Harvard _and_ Yale _and_ Princeton."

"Our Dad's an ivy leaguer? Which did he go to? And why would he pack all this stuff away?"

* * *

_**1985**_

Luke sat silently beside Lorelai as she chatted away with the other girls, Andrew, Jackson, and Kirk. His mind wandered from Lorelai to his father to the three big envelopes in his backpack. He had gotten them this morning, but quickly stashed them away before anyone knew they had arrived. He didn't want to think about them- although, he had made up his mind already.

"Luke," Lorelai called. "Hey, for the fifth time, Luke. Pay attention to me or I'm telling them about our…bedtime stories."

"Huh?" Luke asked, still not fully paying attention to his girlfriend. He was still stuck in his own little world.

"I need paper. Can I get some out of your bag?"

"Uh huh."

"So who's the candidates for prom queen this year?" Sookie asked.

"Does it really matter? Everyone knows it's gonna come down to two people- Rachel and Anna Nardini," Gypsy remarked.

"It's like a cat fight from Luke's little black book," Jackson laughed.

"Luke's little black book?" Lorelai asked, putting down Luke's backpack. She turned to Luke and raised a brow. "Why didn't I hear about this 'Anna' woman?"

"Ah jeez," Luke groaned. "It's not important."

"If you're hiding her from me…"

"I'm not hiding anyone. She's an ex. That's all. Drop it already."

"So Luke!" Sarah jumped in. "Kev and I are renting a limo for the night. Do you and Lorelai wanna ride with us to prom?"

"I'm not going," Luke mumbled as he looked down at his hands.

"What? Why not?" Lorelai asked.

"Because I don't want to."

"It's your senior year, you have to go."

"I don't have to do anything Lorelai. I don't wanna go."

Lorelai stared at Luke. She had no idea what had gotten into him. He'd been acting really weird the past few days. "Fine. We won't go." She went back to digging through Luke's bag for paper.

Just then, Kevin walked over to the group. "Hey guys, what's going on?" he asked.

"Luke's being a jerk," Andrew teased.

"Shut up," Luke barked.

"Temper, temper Butch," Jackson joked.

As Luke and the other guys continued to argue about Luke's mood, Lorelai started digging through his backpack in search of paper. When she opened the main part of the backpack, she noticed three big envelopes stuffed inside. She didn't want to be a nosey girlfriend, but they were right in front of her and Luke did give her permission to go through his bag. She glanced at the return address stickers at the top of each envelope.

"Oh my God," she gasped, not realizing how loud she was.

Everyone stopped to look at her. "What's wrong?" Lulu asked.

"Um, nothing." Lorelai glanced at Luke, giving him a knowing look about the envelopes. His eyes widened begging her not to bring it up.

"What's that?" Sarah asked, peaking into Luke's backpack. "Those look like admission letters."

Luke sighed and lowered his head, shaking it slightly. He was hoping no one would see them and now he was busted. He gave Lorelai a look telling her to go ahead and take them out.

"They are admission letters!" Sarah said as Lorelai handed her one of the envelopes.

"Harvard," Lorelai beamed as she read the return address aloud. Then she pulled out another envelope, confused why it would be there. "Yale? Princeton? Luke, I didn't know you applied to Yale and Princeton."

"I didn't think I was gonna get in," Luke sighed. "I was offered a scholarship to Harvard. I didn't think Yale and Princeton would want a pending Harvard scholarship student. Turns out they're gonna give me scholarships too if I choose to go to one of those schools."

"Which one are you going to go to?" Sookie asked. "Harvard. I bet you pick Harvard!"

"I'm not going to Harvard," Luke stated.

"You're not?" Jackson asked. "Oh. You're gonna go to Yale. Closer to home. I get it." Luke shook his head. "You're not going to Yale?"

"Princeton? You chose Princeton over Harvard and Yale?" Liz asked.

"No," Luke said standing up. "No. No. No. I'm not going to Harvard. I'm not going to Yale. And I'm not going to Princeton!"

"But that doesn't leave any other choice," Kirk remarked.

"Exactly," Luke sighed.

"Luke, these are _big_ envelopes. They're not 'we don't want you' envelopes. They're 'we'll hit a baby seal in the face to get you' envelopes," Andrew said.

"One, you're sick. That's a horrible thing to say. And two, I don't care if they want me. I'm not going. Anywhere."

"What?" Everyone asked.

"Why?" Sarah asked. "You always talk about leaving this place."

"I'm just not going, so drop it," Luke said. He took the envelopes and put them in his backpack.

"Are you that stupid? You just got accepted into three of the best schools in the country and you're passing them up?" Kevin noticed the quick glance Luke gave Lorelai, but not the one to Liz. "I get it now. This is about _her._" Everyone looked at Kevin then at Lorelai.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I should have guessed it. You're a complete idiot. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Shut up Kevin."

"They are _begging_ you to go to their schools."

"I'm serious Kevin, shut up."

"You're gonna pass up something great for that slut!"

Everyone was shocked by Kevin's statement and Luke was furious. "That's it!" he dropped his backpack and tackled Kevin to the ground.

The entire school heard the commotion and gathered around to see what was going on. The girls were screaming at Luke and Kevin to stop as Jackson, Andrew, Kirk, and a few other guys that came over tried to pull the two men apart.

"Fuck you!" Kevin yelled at Luke.

"Fuck you too!" Luke yelled back. "We're over! Sixteen years of friendship- over!"

"Fine by me! I'm not the one throwing my life away for some whore!"

Luke let out another growl and struggled against the men holding him back. "Don't talk about her like that!"

"It's the truth!"

"No it's not! She has nothing to do with my decision not to go to college."

"Liar! No one in their right mind would pass up three of the best schools in the nation! Give me one good reason why you would if not her!"

"Because my father's dying!" The entire courtyard- heck the whole school- went silent as they stared at Luke. The men holding him back released him and stepped back as he calmed down some. Luke looked to Lorelai and Liz. They were shocked more than anyone. "He didn't want anyone to know. I'm not going to college because I can't leave my father."

Luke picked his backpack up off the ground and headed to his truck, leaving nearly half the town shocked.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

"I don't see what the big deal is," Luke remarked as he leaned against the kitchen counter top.

"The 'big deal' is you said yes Luke," Lorelai sighed as she shut the refrigerator door and headed across the kitchen.

"Well what was I supposed to say?"

"You weren't supposed to say anything."

"Oh and that wouldn't have been suspicious at all."

"Then you should have said we would think about it."

"They have it in town records Lorelai," Luke nearly laughed as he took another swig of his beer. "We stood in front of the whole town twenty years ago and told them that on our twentieth anniversary, we would renew our vows. How would it have looked if I said we needed to think about it? Red flags would have been going up all over the place!"

"I don't care what they would have thought."

"Then what about Kelly? She was sitting right in front of us Lorelai. If I didn't say yes or if I had hesitated, she would have known something was up."

Lorelai looked up at Luke. "That's not fair."

"What?"

"You cannot use our daughter as a scapegoat!"

"I'm not using her as a scapegoat!"

"You are too!"

"Oh come on Lorelai. Most couples renew their vows after twenty years of marriage, not sign divorce papers."

"I knew it," they heard Jess say. They turned their heads to see Jess standing in the doorway. "I knew something wasn't right. You two were at each other's throats when I first got here and then you were all lovey dovey. It was an act."

"Jess, you misunderstood…" Lorelai said.

"Drop the act already. You're busted."

Lorelai glared at Luke. "Good job loud mouth."

"If you had left well enough alone I never would have said it," Luke remarked.

"If you hadn't said yes, I wouldn't have been fighting with you."

"If you…"

"Cut it out!" Jess said. "I can't believe you two have been lying to your families about something like this. How long has it been going on?" Neither Luke nor Lorelai replied. "Hey, I asked a question. How long?" Luke mumbled a response. "What?"

"I said a year," Luke confessed.

"Six months," Lorelai corrected. "We decided to separate _six months_ ago."

"Well everything started a year ago."

"Don't you dare."

"Don't I dare what?"

"Don't you dare blame this on Danny's death."

Luke stood up straight, his facial expression turning quickly to anger. "I am not blaming this on Danny! Don't act like I don't miss him!"

"Oh yeah. Drinking until you pass out really helps."

"He was my son too! I miss him just as much as you do!"

"I never said you don't miss him! Don't put words into my mouth!"

"Enough!" Jess yelled. "Jeez! If you two have been separated for a ye…"

"Six months," Lorelai said.

Jess rolled his eyes. "If you've been separated for six months, why are you sleeping in the same bed?"

"We haven't been," Luke said.

"Don't," Lorelai said.

"I've been sleeping in the guest room."

"Luke!"

"What? I have been!"

"I didn't kick you out!"

"I never said you did!"

"You're making it sound like I did!"

"I am not!"

"I said enough!" Jess yelled. "You can't keep hiding this from your kids. They deserve to know."

"No," Luke stated. "Not now. They're finally moving on?"

"Are they really Luke? Do you honestly think they're ever going to get over losing their little brother? Are you ever gonna get over losing a son?" Luke and Lorelai lowered their heads. "I thought so. The longer you wait to tell them, the worse the outcome will be." Jess turned to go back to the living room but stopped for a second. "Oh and by the way, Rory and Kelly are in the attic going through that crap you tried to hide. I think they found your Harvard box."

* * *

_**1985**_

Lorelai snuggled closer into Luke's bare chest, placing a soft kiss on it. He had released the tension from the past few days in bed with Lorelai in the last two hours. She knew he still had a burden on his shoulders and his fight with Kevin earlier in the day hadn't helped at all. She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and she leaned up to kiss him.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hey," he said back.

"How you feeling?"

"Worn out." She playfully slapped his chest and he laughed. "I feel better than I have in days."

"Good." She hugged his waist. "You scared me earlier."

"What? When? Why?"

"Earlier when you were…" Lorelai trailed off and took a deep breath. "When you were fighting with Kevin. I'd never seen you so angry. It kinda…scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so mad. He was just…he said those awful things about you and I snapped. I just hit him and I couldn't stop myself. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I don't think you know how strong you really are."

"Lorelai…"

"You could have killed him if those guys didn't stop you."

Luke let out a sigh and sat up. "Lorelai, come here." Lorelai sat up, facing him. "Listen to me- I am never going to hurt you. I'd never raise a hand to you."

"What if you're really angry and…"

"_Never_, Lorelai. Never."

Lorelai let out a breath and nodded. "Ok. I'm so sorry. I know you'd never hurt me. I was just…I was scared."

"Hey, you never have to be afraid with me."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared for Dad."

Luke hugged Lorelai tightly. "So am I, Lorelai. So am I."

"Tell me we'll be together forever."

"We'll be together until the day after forever."

* * *

**_Next time on "The Broken Road": Lorelai has the same problem in 1985 and the present day, but the fear becomes a reality in one._**

**A/N: Ok, seriously sorry for the long wait on an update. School's been tiring and I've been looking for a new job. I'll try not to take as long with the next update. Oh and the ending my seem useless, but remember- everything is in here for a reason.**


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